Melbourne family living in fear after innocent teen almost shot during gangland execution

A Caroline Springs mother has described how she and her family are living in fear in the wake of the gangland execution of crime figure Hawre Sherwani.

Her son narrowly escaped being hit by a stray bullet as their home got caught in the crossfire of Thursday night's attack on Heysen Parkway in Melbourne's west.

The 15-year-old was in his bedroom minutes before a bullet was fired into his mattress and came dangerously close to being collateral damage in the gangland hit.

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"We were lucky. Very lucky to be alive, especially my son," the mum told 9News.

The teen's mum is still in shock after the bullet was fired through her son's bedroom window and into the mattress he was lying on just minutes earlier.

"He went to the toilet and this [is when] the gunshot happened," she said.

"But that five minutes, if he was in his room, he would be dead.

"Everybody was crying and everybody was like really shocked. My kids are scared now, they don't want to go out."

The Year 10 student was at home with his mum and 13 year-old brother when crime figure Hawre Sherwani was ambushed on Thursday night.

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"We could've been talking about two homicides here of an innocent person and there would've been hell to pay in relation to what are the Victorian government doing about it," Charlie Bezzina, former homicide detective told 9News.

Sherwani's VW Golf was captured being followed by the hitmen, who sounded a fake siren before firing a hail of bullets.

The 33-year-old knocked on doors begging for help but died a short time later.

The gunman's car was found dumped and torched a few kilometres away.

The crime scene has been cleared from the suburban street but investigators are still hunting for those behind the deadly ambush.

Authorities fear this killing could spark gangland retaliation attacks and, next time, innocent people could be caught in the crossfire.

"Someone walking on the street could be like a victim," the mum said.

"This has to stop."

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