A well-known boxing coach was fatally shot in a suspected underworld ambush in Sydney’s southwest on Tuesday evening, police confirmed. Louis Meehan, 32, the son of former professional boxer Kali Meehan, was attacked shortly after leaving a gym at the Punchbowl Community Centre on Rossmore Avenue, Punchbowl, at approximately 5:50 p.m.

Witnesses reported that the assailant called out Meehan’s name before opening fire in the carpark outside the community centre. The shooting occurred in close proximity to the centre’s facilities where numerous children were gathered, prompting distress among bystanders and parents. Emergency services arrived promptly, but Meehan died at the scene despite efforts by NSW Ambulance paramedics to provide medical assistance.

Authorities have established an extensive crime scene encompassing much of the Punchbowl central business district, with investigators focusing on a vehicle seen fleeing the area immediately after the incident. Meehan was known locally as a boxing coach who operated a gym in Punchbowl and had worked with several prominent fighters, including former NRL player Curtis Scott and boxer Jai Opetaia.

The shooting adds to escalating tensions and violence plaguing Sydney’s southwest and western suburbs, where a surge in underworld-related attacks has raised concerns among residents and law enforcement alike. Dozens of children were reportedly inside the community centre when the shooting occurred, eliciting emotional reactions from parents. One mother, Amir Khaled, who was gathering her daughter from an after-school tutoring program at the centre, expressed shock upon learning her child had been so close to the incident. She described feeling numb and called on those responsible for the ongoing gang violence to cease hostilities.

This latest killing follows a string of recent fatal shootings in the greater Sydney area that have heightened public alarm. Last week, two men unaffiliated with organised crime were killed in separate attacks: Marco Tapia, 23, was shot inside his family home in Glen Alpine, and Joshua MacDonald, 40, was killed outside a residence in Merrylands West less than two days later.

Investigations suggest that the ongoing wave of violence is largely tied to a conflict between rival criminal groups, principally the Coconut Cartel and the Alameddine crime clan. Both factions have been implicated in a series of retaliatory shootings across Sydney in recent months, with an increase in fatal incidents reported in the days leading up to Meehan’s death. Police continue to appeal for information as inquiries proceed.