A brazen drive-by shooting into a crowd at a party in Melbourne’s north was part of a planned ambush, police believe.
The chaos kicked off during a pre-wedding celebration at the Grande Reception and Function Centre in Epping on March 10.
A stolen red Mazda CX5 drove up to the venue, at Helm Court, at 10.45pm when one of its occupants quickly opened fire.
One of the guests, a 33-year-old Docklands man, suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body.
He shunned an ambulance and later presented at hospital for treatment.
No one else at the party was physically injured.
The offenders fled the scene and drove to W.A. Smith Reserve in Lalor, where the car, displaying fake South Australian registration plates, was burnt.
Detectives believe it was a targeted attack and have released images of the burnt car in a bid to jog attendees’ memories.
Investigators believe there were multiple witnesses to the incident who may have filmed the events on their mobile phones and are asking anyone who has any footage to come forward.
They are also urging anyone with dashcam footage, who was in the vicinity of Cooper Street, Edgar Street or Dalton Road in Epping between 10.30pm and 11pm on Thursday, 10 March, to come forward.
Anyone with information or with dashcam footage of the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
