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HERO TILL THE END: Taha Sabbagh died shielding 12-yr-old son with his body as gunmen 'executed' him

The selfless father was dropping his son off at the gym when at least two gunmen opened fire at their black Mercedes SUV

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: A celebrity chauffeur laid down his life for the sake of his 12-year-old son as he was gunned down in an 'execution style' gangland shooting while shielding his boy from the hail of bullets. 40-year-old Taha Sabbagh was shot dead outside the Elite Fight Force gym on Carlingford Street, in Sefton, western Sydney, at about 6.30 am on Thursday, March 2.

The selfless father was dropping his son off at the gym when at least two gunmen opened fire at their black Mercedes SUV. A relative of the deceased noted how the luxury car driver wrapped his arms around his son to protect him from the flying bullets.

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"Why do people kill other people?" Sabbagh's uncle Nasser Sabbagh asked Daily Mail Australia. "He's a good man. Quiet man. No criminal record. He goes to work. Spends time with his kids." Another family member said he wanted Sabbagh to be remembered as a "father, brother, uncle, and cousin." The proud father's final social media post on Wednesday, March 1, showed his 12-year-old son sparring with a trainer.

A witness reported hearing at least six shots fired followed by the sound of a car screeching away. The vehicle, later determined to be a Mazda 3, was later found burnt out at the nearby Birrong Train Station. Emergency responders tried everything they could to revive Sabbagh, who was reportedly a regular at the MMA gym. However, he couldn't be saved despite their best efforts and was pronounced dead at the scene. Family and friends flocked to Sabbagh's home later in the afternoon as they tried to come to terms with his passing. The residential street was filled with cars as his well-wishers arrived to pay their respects. 

'There was blood everywhere'

A man, identified only as Steve, was one of the first to arrive at the scene after hearing six gunshots while working in an office across the road. "I heard the shots and ran over and the young fella, his son, was screaming '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. Someone had obviously shot him, there was blood everywhere." Sabbagh appeared to still be alive despite being shot up to six times. "Within minutes there was police and ambulance everywhere, it was a pretty hectic sight," he said. "They were working on him for a while."

Sabbagh was reportedly a top driver for a number of luxury chauffeur services around Sydney, often ferrying high-profile clients to meetings and parties. The shooting was believed to be a "targeted attack" but authorities are still investigating whether Sabbagh was "the intended target." NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty told reporters, "He was not well known to police, he was associated with some people who are well known to police and have strong criminal activity connected to them." Meanwhile, Sabbagh's loved ones are convinced he was killed in a case of mistaken identity. The luxury chauffeur once drove social media star Hasbulla and even shared photos with UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

'He was our best'

"He's been with us since the start, almost four years now," the owner of one of the companies told Daily Mail Australia of Sabbagh on condition of anonymity. "He's 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 - an all-around nice guy. It's a tragedy." The entrepreneur said Sabbagh was trusted with his firm's top clients and insisted he couldn't have been mixed up in organized crime. "It's very shocking, we'd never expect anything like this to happen to someone like him," he said.

Elite Fight Force paid tribute to Sabbagh in a message on Instagram Thursday morning. "Asalamu alaykum (peace be with you in Arabic)," the gym posted on Instagram Stories. "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 stay updated with our stories for any new announcements." Children had reportedly been training at the gym just hours before the shooting took place, Daily Mail Australia reported.