The shocking and tragic moment when Nadal Acherkouk was gunned down at a petrol station in Surry Hills was captured on CCTV footage, offering a chilling glimpse of the brazen daylight attack.
Two men, dressed in black outfits that appeared makeshift and designed to conceal their identities, were seen firing pistols and relentlessly pursuing Acherkouk, who was critically injured during the assault.
The incident unfolded just before 7:45 pm on a bustling Friday night, as Cleveland Street was filled with diners enjoying their evening out. Acherkouk, parked at the BP service station in his blue car, was the apparent target of the attack.
The CCTV footage shows the gunmen sprinting toward the vehicle before one of them, dressed in a black poncho and gloves, raises his pistol and fires three rapid shots at Acherkouk through the driver’s side window. The second gunman, partially obscured in the footage, also had a raised pistol aimed at the car.
Despite being hit by at least one bullet in the torso, Acherkouk managed to scramble from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, before desperately attempting to flee on foot.
The footage shows him running south across the petrol station forecourt, where a two-meter-high fence blocks his escape route. In a panic, he doubles back, heading toward Cleveland Street, while the two gunmen, undeterred, continue to chase him, maneuvering between the petrol bowsers with pistols still raised.
One of the gunmen is then seen sprinting toward another vehicle parked on the eastern side of the forecourt, while the other continues to pursue Acherkouk.
Amid the chaos, members of the public, including a man at the petrol station, found themselves caught in the line of fire. One eyewitness told Nine News that he feared for his life and immediately sought cover, ducking behind an ice cream freezer to avoid being hit.
In separate footage taken shortly afterward, Acherkouk is seen collapsing in the middle of Cleveland Street, near the intersection with Crown and Baptist streets.
He is assisted by passersby, including a man in a wheelchair who reaches out to him as he sinks to his knees, and another individual who rips off his shirt to help stop the bleeding.
Earlier, Acherkouk had dined with friends at the nearby Erciyes Turkish restaurant, which is adjacent to the BP station. Restaurant staff confirmed that he had been with a small group, and police have since taken the restaurant’s CCTV footage as part of their investigation into the shooting.
Authorities have labeled the attack “reckless” and “targeted,” with links to the criminal underworld. Superintendent Andrew Garner emphasized the level of danger posed to the public during the attack, describing it as an "outrageous" act and stressing the police's commitment to tracking down those responsible.
A suspected getaway vehicle was found set on fire shortly after the attack, near a block of flats in Kensington Road, Kensington. A resident, Craig Finn, who heard voices coming from the garage at the time, described the fire as intense, but luckily, it didn’t spread to nearby buildings due to the wind direction. Emergency services were quickly alerted, and residents were evacuated from the area.
Police are urging anyone with information related to the shooting to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The search for the perpetrators continues as authorities remain committed to bringing them to justice.
