A man has died with abdominal stab wounds in what police are calling a seemingly random murder at Guildford, in Western Sydney, just after 1.30pm on Saturday.
The victim, 37-year-old Josese McGoon, and his friend were walking down towards another friend’s house after eating a pizza nearby, when three masked men dressed in black got out of their car and attacked.
“They obviously had intent,” NSW Police Superintendent Andrew Holland told reporters on Sunday.
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“Our victim and our witness were in the wrong place at the wrong time, by the looks of it.”
The friends were walking past a Toyota sedan that Holland described at “blue or silver” when they were attacked by the three male occupants.
As McGoon was being “severely beaten” the witness was able to distract one of the attackers and run back to his car parked nearby on Cardigan St.
“He had driven back to the location where our victim was lying on the side of the street with severe stomach injuries,” Holland said.
The witness then drove McGoon to Westmead Hospital, where the 37-year-old presented at 2.15pm, half an hour after emergency services were called to reports of the assault on Bangor St.
McGoon underwent surgery, but died at 5.36pm.
No murder weapon has yet been found, but Holland said: “Given the injures involved, it’s believed to be a bladed weapon.”
He called knife crime “a major concern across the whole of society at the moment.”
The timing of the attack and the victim’s believed lack of links to organised crime have sparked concern.
“There are concerns about why they have been attacked in the middle of the day, in the middle of the street,” Holland said.
“There are no real links to the location, as they just happened to be walking down Bangor St and were approached by the males as they walked past their car.
“The victim doesn’t have any links to organised crime networks or motorcycle gangs at this point, neither does the witness …the victim is known to police, but not for any serious matters.”
McGoon’s friend is assisting police with their inquiries, but now “has concerns for his safety and his welfare,” Holland said.
There were several other witnesses on the street at the time of the attack, and Holland said police are appealing for those people to come forward.
Investigations are ongoing as police door knock for information and CCTV footage in the area.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.