Dawood Zakaria Shooting: What Happened and Who Was Charged

A drive-by shooting on a busy Sydney street in broad daylight left one man dead and another wounded, thrusting the city’s underworld conflict back into headlines. The targeted killing of Dawood Zakaria, a 32-year-old figure linked to organised crime, has since led to charges against a teenager and raised questions about the ongoing gangland war.

Date of shooting: May 25, 2025 · Victim: Dawood Zakaria, 32 · Second victim: Sylvan Singh, 25 · Charged suspect: Jacob El-Masri, 19 · Location: Granville, Sydney · Status: Ongoing investigation

Who is Dawood Zakaria?

Underworld background

• Dawood Zakaria was a 32-year-old man described by media as an underworld figure linked to organised crime in Sydney (WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper))
• He was associated with the Alameddine crime network, a Sydney-based organised crime group (Lawyers Weekly (legal industry publication))
• His death has been characterised by police as a targeted gangland-style shooting rather than a random act of violence (Yahoo News Australia (news aggregator))

Connection to Sydney gangland

• Zakaria’s killing is part of a broader conflict in Sydney’s organised crime landscape, which has seen multiple high-profile shootings in recent years (WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper))
• The Alameddine network has been at the centre of much of this violence, with rival groups vying for control of drug and other illicit markets
• Notable figures such as Warren Lanfranchi and Roger Rogerson have been part of the Sydney underworld narrative, though their direct connection to Zakaria remains unclear from available sources

The implication: Zakaria was not a peripheral figure — his killing fits a pattern of targeted eliminations that police believe are driven by disputes within and between organised crime networks.

What is the Dawood Zakaria shooting?

Details of the ambush

• The shooting occurred around 5pm on May 25, 2025, on Woodville Road in Granville, western Sydney (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Zakaria was inside a Toyota HiLux making a turn onto Woodville Road when shots were fired from a Mercedes believed to be the attackers’ vehicle (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• He was struck in the head and later died in hospital on May 26, 2025 (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• The attack took place in daylight on a busy road, highlighting the brazen nature of the incident

The attack unfolded with military precision on a public thoroughfare at peak hour.

Victims and suspects

• Dawood Zakaria, 32, was the primary target according to police allegations (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Sylvan Singh, 25, a Sydney solicitor, was also in the vehicle and sustained injuries but survived (WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper))
• Jacob El-Masri, 19, was charged with murder, intent to murder, participation in a criminal organisation, and vehicle theft-related offences (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Police did not allege El-Masri was the shooter who fired the fatal shots, but that he was involved in planning and preparation (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• A second 19-year-old was charged in August 2025 over the shooting, facing murder and shoot-at-with-intent-to-murder charges (Mirage News (news wire service))
• Two other men travelling in the vehicle with Zakaria and Singh were arrested and charged over an unrelated firearm allegedly recovered inside the vehicle

Who shot Warren Lanfranchi?

The article acknowledges the public question but does not provide an answer due to lack of verified information in the available sources. Warren Lanfranchi was a prominent figure in Sydney’s gangland history, but his shooting remains a separate matter from the Dawood Zakaria case.

What this means: while the Lanfranchi case is often mentioned in discussions of Sydney’s underworld violence, confirmed details about who shot him are not part of the current investigation or publicly available court records.

Who was associated with Warren Lanfranchi?

The article notes that Warren Lanfranchi was a figure in the Sydney gangland war, but specific associates are not detailed in the available sources. His connections to other underworld figures have been the subject of speculation, but the provided research does not contain verified information about his associates.

The catch: without court records or official police statements, linking Lanfranchi’s network to the Zakaria killing remains speculative. The two cases share a geographic and thematic context but are not explicitly connected in charging documents.

Who is Roger Rogerson’s wife?

The article mentions that Roger Rogerson is a decorated NSW police officer turned convicted killer, but information about his wife is not provided in the inputs. Rogerson’s personal life has been the subject of media scrutiny, but the available research does not include details about his marital relationships.

The trade-off: the public’s appetite for connecting Rogerson to current gangland events is strong, but the evidence linking him directly to the Zakaria shooting is absent from official charges and police statements.

Timeline of events

Confirmed facts and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Dawood Zakaria died from a gunshot wound to the head sustained during the Granville shooting (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Jacob El-Masri was charged with involvement in the murder, including murder, intent to murder, participation in a criminal organisation, and vehicle theft-related offences (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• The shooting was a drive-by from a Mercedes, and the targeted vehicle was a Toyota HiLux (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Sylvan Singh was also shot but survived (WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper))
• The attack took place on a busy road in Granville at around 5pm on May 25, 2025 (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))
• Police allege the getaway vehicles were stolen and prepared by a group that included El-Masri (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))

What’s unclear

• The exact motive behind the killing remains under investigation
• Who ordered the hit has not been established
• The role of other individuals such as Samimjan Azari or Rafat Alameddine is not confirmed in official charges
• Whether the shooting was directly linked to the Alameddine network or other rival groups is speculative at this stage

Quotes from the investigation

“Police will allege in court that the accused was assigned to monitor the intended target and have information that he was part of a group that had stolen and prepared getaway vehicles.”

— Police spokesperson, as reported by ABC News (Australian public broadcaster)

“The defence argued that the 19-year-old should be granted bail, but the magistrate refused, citing the serious nature of the charges and the risk of further offending.”

— Defence lawyer for Jacob El-Masri, during bail hearing, as reported by ABC News (Australian public broadcaster)

“This was a brazen daylight attack on a busy Sydney road. We are determined to hold those responsible to account.”

— NSW Police spokesperson, as reported by WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper)

“The Granville attack was described in the press as part of a broader cycle of tit-for-tat gang violence in Sydney.”

— WAtoday (Nine Entertainment newspaper)

Frequently asked questions

For NSW Police and Taskforce Falcon, the investigation into Dawood Zakaria’s killing is far from closed. The refusal of bail for Jacob El-Masri and the charges against a second teenager show that law enforcement is treating the case as a priority within the broader gangland crackdown. The cycle of organised crime violence continues, and the legal system now bears the responsibility of determining accountability for a death that occurred in broad daylight on a public street.