Man shot dead in the carpark of a Sydney petrol station is identified – as details about his ties to the criminal underworld are revealed

The man shot dead in the carpark of a busy petrol station by a balaclava-clad gunman has been identified as Nidal Acherkouk. 

The shooter remains on the run after police were called to Baptist Street in Surry Hills after locals reported hearing gunshots at 7.45pm on Friday.

Officers found Acherkouk, aged in his 30s, near the carpark of a BP petrol station on the corner of Crown and Cleveland Street. 

NSW Police confirmed on Saturday that Acherkouk had links to underworld organisations in Sydney and was known to police. 

South Sydney Police Area Command Superintendent Andrew Garner said Acherkouk had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body. 

‘He was alone in his vehicle in the service station,’ he told a press conference. 

‘After that he got out of the vehicle and went on foot down Cleveland Street where he has succumbed to his injuries.’

Supt Garner labelled the incident as ‘outrageous’ and said it demonstrated a lack of regard for public safety in a busy and crowded part of Sydney. 

More to come…

‘We’ll be working very hard to indentify and arrest those involved and hold them to account,’ Supt Garner said. 

Images from the scene showed blood stains on a part of the road near the service station. 

Earlier, a blood-soaked white sheet was seen covering the man’s body as paramedics desperately worked to revive him.

A Porsche, believed to be the getaway car, was found on fire in nearby Kensington about an hour after the shooting. 

Swarms of emergency responders were seen securing the intersection of Cleveland and Bourke Streets as the police operation got underway.

Images from the scene showed blood stains (pictured) on a part of the road near the service station