Several hundred mourners have turned out to the funeral of a slain True King underworld figure who was gunned down in cold-blood in front of his girlfriend a week ago.
Amar Kettule was hit with a spray of bullets on a side lane near William Street in Fairfield in Sydney’s southwest about 2.40am on January 10.
Kettule, 34, reportedly extorted money and was a high-ranking member of the True Kings street gang, with police probing whether a feud with rival DLASTHR gang led to his slaying.
Heartbroken family members, the broader community, and police were at St Thomas The Apostle Chaldean and Assyrian Church on Saturday morning to celebrate Kettule’s life.
Men and women alike donned a white shirt with Kettule’s smiling face printed on the front, with the back featuring an Ace of Spades card symbol on it and the words ‘King Ace’ .
Due to Covid-19 restrictions only 100 people were allowed inside the church but that didn’t stop mourners from flooding the driveway and surrounding streets.
Inside the church, immediate family members were seated in the pews wearing face masks as they prayed and remembered Kettule.
Amar Kettule, 34, was shot dead in the street in a suspected targeted attack in Sydney’s southwest in the early hours of Sunday morning
Kettule’s white casket is seen covered in red roses as mourners place more of the flowers on top of his body as it is placed inside the hearse
Family and the broader Assyrian community members flocked to the church early on Saturday morning to farewell the slain underworld figure
White doves were present at the funeral and let out when Kettule’s casket was placed in the hearse
Immediate family members wearing the ‘King Ace’ shirt were allowed inside the church while everyone else waited outside
As the ceremony finished inside the church and Kettule’s casket was carried out, the crowd wept as they farewelled him.
Some of his friends and family were hoisted into the air and started dancing, while others banged on large drums as police officers dressed in blue struggled to keep the rowdy group off the streets.
Two women fainted as the casket was placed inside the hearse and were helped inside by strangers.
One of the men was carrying a silver crown and scepter, representing Kettule’s king-like leadership.
Another man could be seen holding a photo frame of his friend, thrusting it into the faces of other mourners.
One man told Daily Mail Australia that Kettule was a good man and didn’t deserve to die.
‘No one deserves to die. No matter what you did no one deserves to be shot,’ the mourner said.
Two men were placed on people’s shoulders as Kettule’s casket was slowly taken away to the hearse (pictured)
Men carried the casket out of the church and white roses were thrown at it to celebrate Kettule’s life
A grieving woman is seen blowing her nose as Kettule’s casket is carried out following the ceremony
Upon entering the church, mourners were given a photograph of Kettule with a saying which read: ‘God looked around his garden and found an empty place. He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.
‘He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest. God’s garden must be beautiful. He always takes the best.’
Kettule’s background and gang involvement meant that there was a heavy police presence at the church to ensure the funeral went according to plan.
However, motorbike riders were issued fines and demerit points because of defects on their bikes or helmets.
They were ordered to leave from the front of the church and not come back.
A flock of doves were placed outside in the driveway, ready to be let go when Kettule’s casket was heading to Rockwood cemetery
A police officer is seen issuing a fine to a motorbike rider outside the church of Amar Kettule on Saturday morning
Motorbike riders were issued fines and demerit points because of defects on their bikes or helmets
There was a heavy police presence at Kettule’s funeral who was shot in a suburban alleyway on Sunday, January 10
Conflict between the two Assyrian gangs DLASTHR (The Last Hour) and the True Kings peaked in 2016, with a spate of shootings and fire bombings in the city’s southwest linked to a bloody turf war.
Fairfield City Commander Detective Superintendent Glen Fitzgerald said police were investigating whether Kettule’s killing was linked to gang wars in the area.
‘We believe the attack to be targeted. He is well-known to police – however this is a violent attack on a suburban street and is unacceptable behaviour,’ he said.
Det Supt Fitzgerald said detectives would be looking into whether Kettule’s death was a revenge killing.
‘It’s part of the investigation (the feud) and a line of inquiry but the cause and motive is very unknown, it’s still very early in the investigation,’ he said.
‘We will have a number of police out on the highway doing whatever we can to eliminate any chances of any type of action happening.
‘But until we know the cause of this, it’s difficult to say what will happen.’
Kettule and his girlfriend were driving their Toyota Prado into the Fairfield Towers apartment complex as the shooting unfolded.
CCTV footage showed Kettule, wearing a white Adidas shirt and gold chains, arriving home with his partner just hours before his death at 7.30pm.
CCTV footage showed Kettule, wearing a white Adidas shirt and gold chains, arriving home with his partner just hours before his death at 7.30pm
Police are pictured at the scene after the deadly shooting. Kettule is believed to be a senior member of the True Kings street gang
At 8.40pm the couple were seen emerging from the apartment. After returning six hours later, Kettule was gunned down in a nearby alleyway.
His death is eerily similar to his brother Dylann’s, who was gunned down in a suspected drive-by shooting outside his girlfriend’s unit block in January 2014.
Kettule also has links to the Nomads bikie gang and had to be restrained by police in the aftermath of his brother’s death when he demanded to see Dylann’s body.
The conflict between DLASTHR (The Last Hour) and the True Kings resulted in more than a dozen shootings in Sydney’s southwest in 2016.
In March of that year, a True Kings member was driving with another man when shots were allegedly fired at them from another car carrying DLASTHR rivals.
The violence peaked with two separate shooting attacks on suburban houses linked to the turf war four months later, prompting police to set-up Operation Condor.