On Friday evening, a 57-year-old man from Altona North was taken into custody in connection with the murder of Chaouk. 
Chaouk, 65 years of age, led a crime clan with a notorious history and was embroiled in a violent conflict with the rival Haddara crime family.
Last month, a magistrate alluded to the ongoing “war” between these two families, while law enforcement indicated that the feud with the Haddaras was a primary avenue of investigation.
According to Senior Sergeant Murray Fraser, reporters at the scene were told, “That’s a fairly obvious inference to draw at the early stages.”
In a police operation last month, authorities raided Chaouk’s residence, resulting in the arrest of his youngest son, Omar, after confiscating firearms, ammunition, and falsified passports.
This raid was triggered by a drive-by shooting that occurred in June in Altona, where Sam Haddara, aged 18, was shot in the face while seated in a vehicle.
Sam is related to Mohamed Haddara, who was killed in a shooting a year prior, and there have been numerous reported retaliatory violent incidents between the two clans since then.
Chaouk’s nephew, 22-year-old Ahmed Hablas, was charged in June with the murder of Haddara.
Alan Swanwick, Hablas’s attorney, mentioned that his client expressed concerns for his safety while in custody, as members of the Haddara family had promised revenge.
Additionally, Mr. Swanwick represented Omar Chaouk during a bail hearing last month, arguing for Omar’s release, stating he was essential for protecting the family.
Magistrate Fiona Stewart countered that this was exactly the reason he should not be released.
“There is an ongoing war between two families, and the court should be extremely worried about the danger posed to the community by it,” she stated in court.
As schools in the vicinity were closed on Friday, officers from the Special Operations Group entered the Chaouk residence, while a large gathering of anguished family and friends confronted the police and a substantial media presence outside.
It appeared that the shooter fired at Chaouk through a significant gap in the back fence on Conifer Street, while Chaouk’s wife, another family member, and three of his preschool-aged grandchildren were present at home.
While they desperately tried to save him, the assailant returned to his vehicle and sped away on Geelong Road.
The grieving wife, Fatma, was captured by television helicopters, slumped over her husband’s body, covered by a light blue sheet in the disheveled backyard.
Chaouk had a lengthy history of convictions dating back to an assault in 1975, just six years after his arrival in Australia from Lebanon.
In 1983, he was convicted for heroin trafficking and was sentenced to five years in prison for the same offense in 2000.
One of his five sons, Mohammed, was killed by police during a raid at their home in 2005.
Currently, a second son, Matwali, 26, is in custody facing charges of attempted murder, drug trafficking, and theft, while another son, Ali, was denied bail last month over a violent incident that left a German tourist with a fractured skull.
Waleed, another son, was arrested in the raid last month but subsequently released without charges.
