Five people have been charged with murder following the fatal shooting of a man in the carpark of a Craigieburn shopping centre almost two years ago.
Robert Issa, 27, and a male associate were sitting inside a white Mercedes station wagon parked in the carpark of Craigieburn Central Shopping Centre when a number of shots were fired into the car just before 3pm on Saturday, October 7, 2023.
Issa was pulled from the vehicle and a number of witnesses attempted CPR before emergency services arrived.
He died at the scene.
The other man inside the vehicle, a now 30-year-old from the northern suburbs, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
A black Range Rover was located burnt out in Westmeadows a short time later.
On Thursday, July 31, 2025, police arrested five people – a 31-year-old Mickleham man, a 29-year-old Kew man, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale man and two 26-year-old Fawkner men – shortly after 6am.
They were charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal damage by fire later in the day.
Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said while the arrests were a “turning point” in the investigation, it was “only the beginning”.
“We believe these men were likely the foot soldiers who carried out the murder, but we believe there are also people further up the chain who are responsible for ordering this attack,” he said.
“We want to do everything we can to identify every single person involved in the planning and execution of this attack. If you have any information on the identity of those involved, now is the time to do the right thing and come forward with what you know.
“This shooting was incredibly violent and it played out in a shopping centre carpark in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday. It is completely unacceptable that innocent members of the public were exposed to this level of potential harm. It shows immense disregard for human life and it could have ended in the deaths of more people.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
