A manhunt for the gunman wanted over the fatal shooting in Sydney of convicted killer Walid "Wally" Ahmad has shifted to Victoria following the discovery of an abandoned crashed car at Benalla.
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The car might have been used in the escape.
Ahmad, 41, was gunned down on Friday at Bankstown Central shopping centre by a masked assassin who fled in a white Mercedes later discovered burnt out in nearby Greenacre.
A 60-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, believed to be associates of Ahmad, were also wounded and taken to hospital.
NSW Police confirmed it had been contacted by its counterparts in Victoria following the single-vehicle crash on the Hume Highway at Benalla.
"Investigators are exploring whether the vehicle is linked to the recent shooting in Bankstown,” a spokesman said
Victoria Police spokesman said that by the time police arrived, the occupants had fled.
Both forces were tight lipped about the car's registration, stating only that inquiries were continuing "to determine the driver of the vehicle".
Sydney's latest crime gang execution is likely linked to the slaying of Safwan Charbaji, 32, who was shot in the chest outside Ahmad's Condell Park smash repairs shop on April 9.
A second man, Abdullah El Masri, 35, remains in a coma after he was caught in the crossfire and shot in the face.
It is understood the fatal shooting followed a heated row between two groups in the street about a cash debt.
Until his own execution on Friday, Ahmad had been wanted for questioning over that killing.
But as a prominent figure in Sydney's underworld, he had been on the police radar for many years.
Fairfax Media understands Ahmad had stood over several smash repair firms around Bankstown and demanded that a certain percentage of crash scene vehicles be funnelled to his Condell Park business for repairs.
And those competitors knew Ahmad was not a man to mess with.
In 2005, he was jailed over the fatal shooting of Mayez Dany three years earlier.
The former bouncer was working the door at a nightclub belonging to Hassan "Sam" Ibrahim when he refused entry to Mr Dany's nephew.
Ahmad later shot Mr Dany five times and jailed for manslaughter.