Vic: Police probe motives for Moran shooting
By Simon Mossman18 Mar 2009 1:01 PM
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MELBOURNE, March 18 AAP - Detectives probing the attempted shooting of the brother of slain underworld heavyweight Lewis Moran are working on at least two motives after ruling out a gangland hit.
Des "Tuppence" Moran was sitting in his car with a friend when "a shadow" flitted across the car before firing one shot through the windscreen on the driver's side on Tuesday night.
The single bullet lodged in the steering wheel before the masked gunman fled the scene outside Moran's Ascot Vale home, in northwest Melbourne.
Neither man was hit in the attack and police on Wednesday were scouring security video footage taken from the Melbourne Showgrounds opposite Moran's home, saying they did not believe the incident was gangland-related.
"There's a couple of motives, we've got a couple of hunches, a couple of leads that we are following up," Detective Inspector Bernie Edwards said, adding it was not believed to be related to a dispute in the horseracing industry.
Moran and his friend "Mick" had returned to Moran's home and were heading back out to grab a bite to eat when the gunman, whom police believe had been lying in wait, ambushed the pair.
Police said Mick had been sitting in the driver's seat because Moran had had a few drinks earlier in the evening, but they were sure Moran was the intended target.
"If it hadn't have hit the steering wheel, it would more than likely have killed the driver," said Det-Insp Edwards, head of the Purana Task Force that investigated Melbourne's lethal gangland wars.
"A shot going through the front windscreen, chest-high, isn't a scare tactic. Obviously the person is trying to kill someone.
"We don't believe Mick could have been the target. You would assume with Des' vehicle that Des would have been driving. We believe Des was the target."
Moran's brother, Lewis, was gunned down at the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road, Brunswick, on March 31, 2004 - a victim of an underworld war that claimed at least 25 lives.
Lewis' widow Judy said earlier on Wednesday that the incident involving her brother-in-law had left her scared, but police said she had no reason to fear for her safety.
"We don't hold fears for Judy's safety. With Des, with this person on the loose, that's a different matter," Det-Insp Edwards said.
