Eyewitness Recalls Moment Sydney Underworld Figure Was Shot Dead in Execution-Style Killing

On a quiet evening in June 2021, a woman who had dined with Sydney underworld figure Bilal Hamze just hours before his death stood frozen in horror as he was gunned down in a brutal execution-style killing on a busy street in the Sydney Central Business District. Her testimony, delivered in court this week, offers a chilling account of the moments before and after the fatal shooting.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was with Mr. Hamze after leaving a restaurant in the city when she heard the first two gunshots. She said she immediately ran into an alcove for cover, only to be stunned by a further barrage of gunfire. "I’ve never heard anything like it," she told the court. "I ran out to find him… I looked around and saw him face down on the footpath. It all happened too fast."

In a harrowing moment captured in a courtroom audio recording, the woman was heard screaming "stop and help" as she attempted to render assistance to the fallen Mr. Hamze, who was groaning in pain. She described being too distraught to continue her call for help, overwhelmed by the terror of the moment.

Another witness, a taxi driver, also testified that he had seen flashes of light and heard loud bangs coming from a black Audi, which was parked nearby. He said he immediately ducked for cover, stating, "I was scared for my life."

The court also heard from Detective Senior Constable Lauren Bennett, who outlined the complex power struggles between two warring crime families, the Alameddine and Hamzy networks, which had been locked in a deadly feud over control of Sydney’s drug trade. Mr. Hamze was the cousin of notorious crime boss Bassam Hamzy, founder of the Brothers 4 Life gang.

CCTV footage shown in court depicted Mr. Hamze and the woman leaving the restaurant as a black Audi circled nearby. In a dashcam video from a taxi, the pair could be seen running for their lives after two shots were fired from the luxury car. Mr. Hamze was then seen collapsing on the footpath and rolling into a gutter.

Samuel John Rokomaqisa, 35, is on trial for the murder of Bilal Hamze and conspiring to kill his younger brother, Ibrahem. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any connection to the Alameddine family.

The trial, before Justice Robert Hulme, is ongoing. The courtroom has been filled with a mix of emotions, from the trauma of the witnesses to the gravity of the case itself. The murder of Mr. Hamze has sent shockwaves through Sydney’s underworld and has drawn attention to the escalating violence that has gripped the city’s criminal networks.

As the trial continues, the court will hear more evidence about the alleged connection between Rokomaqisa and the Alameddine family, as well as the broader context of the feud that led to this tragic and violent event.