Close to a thousand mourners gathered to farewell Taha Sabbagh after he was gunned down in an “execution style” shooting outside a gym. The 40-year-old was in a car with his 12-year-old son outside the Elite Fight Force gym on Carlingford St in Sefton at 6.30am on Thursday when he was fatally shot. At least 10 shots were heard before Mr Sabbagh was found injured by paramedics. He died at the scene.
Mourners filed up the stairs into Lakemba Mosque on Saturday as the coffin carrying Mr Sabbagh was carried into the mosque by the community just before midday. A single police car was parked on the opposite side of the road while patrol cars swept up and down the road every few minutes.
As proceedings started, the street outside the suburban mosque was mostly quiet save for dozens of mourners trailing in. Mr Sabbagh has been described as a beloved husband and father in tributes that flooded his social media after his shocking death on Thursday morning.
He was brutally gunned down in an alleged drive-by shooting outside of the Sefton gym which police allege is frequented by known criminal associates. His 12-year-old son was sitting in the passenger seat beside him and ran for help once the alleged offenders drove away.
Police have revealed that the attack was targeted but one theory suggests Mr Sabbagh may not have been the intended target. The empty hearse was parked out the front of the church with the door still open from where Mr Sabbagh’s coffin was removed earlier.
The mosque appeared to be full as men and boys spilt out onto the front stairs facing east. Song emanated out of the open front doors as the men bowed down rhythmically in prayer. Mr Sabbagh, a celebrity chauffeur, had earlier been remembered as a “beautiful person whose life was taken mistakenly and undeservedly”.
Family members and friends flocked to the street as news of the shooting broke on Thursday. Dozens of mourners — many wearing hi-vis and work boots — began to walk towards the onlookers shouting at them to move away from the scene. The emotional crowd told onlookers they were being “disrespectful”.
A witness told 2GB he heard about 10 bullets fired in the street outside his car workshop on Thursday morning. Just 40 minutes after the alleged shooting, a burnt-out Mazda 3 was found in the neighbouring suburb of Birrong.
The car would be forensically examined, and inquiries were continuing into whether the incident was linked to a nearby shooting, a police spokesman said.
Tributes have been shared online to the husband and father who was “loved by many”. “With great sadness and shock we announce our beloved brother Taha Sabbagh has returned to his Creator,” one Facebook post read. “Taha was a loving son, brother, father, husband, he was loved by many. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him.” “We ask Allah to give his family, wife and children comfort during this test.”
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