The dad-of-two who was shot in the back and killed just moments after stepping out of a parked Audi has been identified.
Melbourne man Brian Laidlaw, 54, was shot dead just after 4pm on Tuesday afternoon in the CBD suburb of Fitzroy.
One of Mr Laidlaw’s final posts to Facebook showed him posing in front of a wall and in an eerie detail, standing in front of a pair of white angel wings.
The 54-year-old was also flipping off the camera in the photo, with a friend joking ‘bro you need horns’ and adding devil emojis to his comment.
Mr Laidlaw took the suggestion he should be a devil instead of angel lightly.
‘Nah not me … I’m not that guy lol,’ he replied.
Mr Laidlaw (pictured) took to Facebook in November 2021 to post a picture of himself standing in front of angel wings
A 43-year-old Doveton man and 21-year-old Yarraville woman were arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Noble Park however no charges have been laid.
It’s understood Mr Laidlaw left his Fitzroy home on Tuesday afternoon to meet two men sitting in a parked Audi car.
Witnesses told police they saw the three men argue before Mr Laidlaw exited the car and was shot in the back.
Mr Laidlaw was shot and killed near a parked car in Fitzroy, Melbourne, on Tuesday afternoon
Homicide detectives said Mr Laidlaw was shot in the back as he exited the car.
‘The male then left and was shot as he alighted from the vehicle. There’s been some dispute, we don’t know why or what for,’ Detective Superintendent Paul O’Halloran said.
Passers by rushed to his aid and called triple zero as emergency services rushed to the bloody scene at the intersection of Napier Street and Gertrude Street.
Despite paramedics’ best efforts, he died at the scene.
Tributes flowed for Mr Laidlaw on social media after his death was confirmed.
‘You will be immensely missed,’ Chloe Barenot wrote on Facebook.
‘You are one of the people that truly believed in me and encouraged my abilities.’
Trent Johnson described Mr Laidlaw as ‘one of the most loyal friends I’ve had’.
Emergency services rushed to the bloody scene after calls from frightened witnesses at about 4.15pm on Tuesday at the intersection of Napier Street and Gertrude Street in Fitzroy
Police established a crime scene at the intersection and are investigating the circumstances of the man’s death
Police have urged anyone who witnessed anything or has CCTV or dashcam vision of the incident to come forward.
Anyone with relevant information should contact Crime Stoppers.