Taha Sabbagh family flood Sefton street in Sydney after he was shot dead at Elite Fight Force gym

Distraught family and friends of a famous driver flooded the street where he was shot in an ambush by gang members at his gym.

Taha Sabbagh, 40, was shot dead outside the Elite Fight Force gym on Carlingford Street, in Sefton, west of Sydney, at around 6:30am on Thursday.

A group of dozens, many of them dressed in high-visibility shirts and work clothes, hit the street around 9 a.m., agitated and demanding to know what happened.

Some cried and hugged at the sight of the bullet-riddled black Mercedes SUV that Sabbagh was sitting in when he was shot at least six times.

Others clashed with the police until the officers dispersed the crowd and left the area.

Sabbagh was a leading driver for various luxury chauffeur services in Sydney, regularly transporting high-end clients to meetings and parties, and paid couples to weddings.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the shooting was believed to be a “targeted attack” but would be investigated whether he was “the intended target”.

“He was not very well known to the police, he was associated with some people who are well known to the police and have strong criminal activity connected to them,” he told reporters.

The friends of the driver of the luxury car are convinced that he was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity.

Sabbagh was taking his 12-year-old son to a personal training session at the gym when he was suddenly ambushed by at least two gunmen in a Mazda 3.

A witness heard at least six shots and the sound of a car pulling away. The car was later found burned at the nearby Birrong railway station.

His last social media post was of the boy practicing boxing there the night before.

Paramedics desperately tried to revive Mr. Sabbagh, who was a common presence at the MMA gym. He could not be saved and died on the spot.

First to arrive on the scene was Steve, who heard six shots while working in an office across the street.

“I heard the shots and I ran and the young man, his son, was yelling ‘help, my dad’s been shot,'” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“I looked inside and there was a man in front of the car, bleeding and slumped over the console. Evidently someone had shot him, there was blood everywhere.

Steve said that despite being shot six times, Mr Sabbagh appeared to be alive.

“Within minutes there were police and ambulances everywhere, it was quite a hectic sight,” he said.

They were working on it for a while.

He once hosted social media star Hasbulla and recently shared photos of MMA stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, and YouTuber Logan Paul.

“He has been with us since the beginning, almost four years,” said the owner of one of the companies.

He is one of the best guys I know, always happy, always smiling.

“He was our best, always opening the door, bringing an umbrella when it was raining, a good guy in every way. It’s a tragedy.

The businessman said Sabbagh was so trustworthy that the firm’s top clients trusted him and that he could not have been involved in organized crime.

“It’s very shocking, we would never expect something like this to happen to someone like him,” he said.

A police source gave a grim warning of more bloodshed on the streets of suburban Sydney after the shooting.

‘It’s going to get a lot worse now after this. It always does,’ they said.

Mustafa Nashar, a friend of Mr Sabbagh, shared a heartfelt tribute to the 40-year-old: “(He was) a beautiful person whose life was wrongfully and undeservedly taken.”

Another loved one added: ‘Taha was a loving son, brother, father, husband, he was loved by many. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.’

Muslim preacher Mohamed Shaar said there was “another murdered soul right on our doorstep.”

“Murdered in front of his son, what a shame this world is so evil,” he said.

Family and friends flocked to the scene of the alleged crime in the hours after the shooting.

A witness, David, said he was in his workshop at the time he heard the gunshots, which he initially thought was just a car backfiring.

“Within minutes there was a load of ambulances and police everywhere and we saw a man on the ground not in a good way,” he told 2GB radio. He was terrifying.

David said he initially heard about five loud bangs before he heard a car speeding away. He then heard another series of shots.

The gym posted a message on Instagram Thursday morning announcing that it would be closed.

‘Asalamu alaykum (peace be upon you in Arabic)’, the message began.

‘We are very sorry for any inconvenience. Elite Force Force will be closed today and all classes will be canceled for the day.

“Please bear with us and keep up to date with our stories for any new announcements.”

The gym was not open at the time, except for private appointments like the one Mr. Sabbagh arranged for his son.

The gym received high praise from members who described it as having “world-class facilities and trainers” and classes for all ages.

“Best MMA gym in Sydney,” wrote one in a review.

‘He also has the best bantamweight fighter there.

‘Definitely recommended for anyone looking to get fit or self defense or even pursue a career in combat sports.’

Another person called the business the “most disciplined mixed martial arts gym” in the city.

“The owners and trainers treat you like family as soon as you walk in the door,” they said.

The boys had been training in the gym on Wednesday night, just hours before the shooting occurred.