Vic: Detectives will solve gangland killings, police boss

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2004
Vic: Detectives will solve gangland killings, police boss

MELBOURNE, April 1 AAP - Victoria's top crime fighter said today he was confident detectives
would solve Melbourne's bloody underworld murders, despite another high-profile killing
last night.

Assistant commissioner Simon Overland said the Purana taskforce, set up in May last
year to investigate gangland killings, was making progress despite the underworld war
claiming its 23rd victim.

Crime family patriarch Lewis Moran was gunned down as he sat in one of his favourite
haunts, the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road.

His associate Herbert Wrout was also shot and remains in a critical condition in hospital.

"We have made progress," Mr Overland told ABC radio.

"We have a better understanding of what's going on than we did in May last year.

"We are making progress but that said, we still have some way to go.

"We are hoping this will stop ... we will get to a stage where we will be able to prosecute
other people but it's going to take us some time to get to that point."

Moran, 58, of Essendon, and Wrout, 62, of Brunswick, were shot as they sat at the Brunswick
Club about 6.35pm yesterday.

Moran died at the scene.

Wrout was wounded and taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital where a hospital spokeswoman
today said he remained in a critical condition.

Wrout and Moran were co-accused on charges of trafficking amphetamines, hashish, ecstasy
and pseudoephedrine.

Moran's death follows that of his son Jason, who was murdered with associate Pasquale
Barbaro in June last year, and his stepson Mark Moran, who was shot dead in 2000.

It also comes just a day after reputed underworld hitman Andrew Veniamin was buried
after being shot in a Carlton restaurant last week.

Purana detectives will today resume their search for witnesses to last night's shooting.

They are searching for two balaclava-clad men, who entered the Brunswick Club just
after 6.30pm yesterday.

They have appealed to people who were inside the club at the time of the shooting,
or anyone outside or on a passing tram to contact police.

AAP kh/gfr/tma/br

KEYWORD: GANGLAND POLICE DAYLEAD

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