Thomastown, Melbourne shooting: Victim identified as 22-year-old Daniel Hussein as gunman remains at large

A young plumber has been identified as the victim of a shooting in Melbourne’s northern suburbs on Sunday night.

Tributes are pouring in for Daniel Hussein, 22, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman following an altercation in a local soccer club’s carpark.

Emergency services were called to Victoria Drive in Thomastown at 7:30pm following reports of gunshots on the usually quiet suburban street.

Hussein was found by first responders in a critical condition with gunshot wounds to the chest at local sports oval HR Uren Reserve before dying at the scene from his injuries.

The victim’s family described Hussein as a good soul, uninvolved in criminal activities, who was only months away from getting married.

Hussein’s brother Ali told The Age that Hussein was attempting to assist his friend in breaking up a fight.

“His friend got into a brawl and called my brother. My brother pulled up [in his car] and they shot my brother. His car was still running,” Ali said.

Hussein’s father claimed a black Porsche with no number plates had been trailing his son in the moments leading up to his death.

The supposed brawl was connected to an altercation between two groups in the Melbourne CBD on Friday night, two days prior to the fatal shooting.

Victoria Police released a statement confirming the victim was involved in an altercation before the shooting.

“Police believe the victim may have been involved in a confrontation with the offender or offenders in the reserve carpark shortly before it occurred,” the statement reads.

The heartbreak felt by Hussein’s loved ones came on a day supposed to be marked by celebration.

“My son was killed on Father’s Day and my birthday,” Hussein’s father told 7NEWS.

The park where Hussein was found had been used all day for junior soccer matches hosted by Uren Reserve’s home club of Lalor United Sloga Football Club.

Club president Rob Nedelkovski assured the ABC in an interview with 774 ABC Melbourne that the shooting was not related to the club despite it being “not a good look.”

He is thankful that the day of children’s sports had concluded when the incident occurred.

“There were a lot of kids here, we had a couple of hundred kids participating in their last junior event, so lucky there was no one around,” Nedelkovski told the radio show.

The reserve was cordoned off by homicide detectives to assist in their investigation, and a red Holden Commodore ute was seen being towed from the scene.

Hussein’s killer remains on the run as Victoria Police have been unable to formally identify the gunman and no arrests have been made.

Police urge anyone with information or footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.

More to come...

Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.