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Former Australian UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was shot dead in what police have described as a “targeted and brazen” attack while taking an evening walk in north-west Sydney. The 33-year-old was gunned down in the suburb of Riverstone on Wednesday evening, according to New South Wales Police.
Authorities said two cars were later found burned out in separate locations — a common feature of organised crime killings that have recently unsettled Sydney. Superintendent Jason Joyce condemned the violence, saying it was “a shame that this is happening in our community”. He added, “You’d want to think that people could walk the streets safely at that hour, but we do believe this was a targeted attack.”
Mokhtarian had reportedly survived a previous attempt on his life in February, when a gunman opened fire outside a gym in western Sydney. The former fighter competed in the UFC twice between 2018 and 2019 before moving into coaching, where he mentored several of Australia’s top mixed martial arts talents, according to ESPN.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and disbelief. A local resident named Ben told The Sydney Morning Herald he and his wife heard a gunshot followed by smoke rising into the air. “There was a large commotion — people were just shocked because they’d never seen anything like this. The shooting happened with children literally riding bikes around the park,” he said.
Another witness, Natalie, who was outside her home with her children, told ABC she immediately called the police and ran to check if Mokhtarian was alive. “He clearly wasn’t. I could immediately tell; otherwise, I would’ve tried to help him,” she said.
The killing came just a day after police intercepted a heavily armed “kill team” equipped with firearms, balaclavas, cameras and jerrycans en route to a daycare centre. Investigators are now examining whether the two incidents are linked.
