Underworld assassination in Melbourne

MELBOURNE'S notorious gangland war has reignited with the murder of Desmond "Tuppence" Moran in the most audacious killing in its bloody history.

The brother of Lewis Moran and uncle to Jason and Mark was shot several times by two masked gunmen in a cafe crowded with lunchtime shoppers near his Ascot Vale home yesterday.

All four Morans have been murdered in a series of underworld killings that stretch over more than a decade and have now reached an unofficial tally of 26 deaths.

Police say they are searching for two men, both of whom are believed to have opened fire on Moran as he was leaving the Ascot Pasta and Deli Cafe in the middle of Melbourne's busy Union Rd shopping strip.

Moran, 60, visited the cafe almost daily.

Within 15 minutes of the shooting, Lewis Moran's widow Judy Moran was at the scene.

Witness Han Carkeek said Mrs Moran, who was not believed to be on good terms with her brother-in-law, was screaming "Dessy, Dessy" when she saw his body slumped in the doorway of the cafe.

More than seven hours later, a coroner's van finally arrived to remove the body.

News of the murder travelled swiftly through Melbourne's underworld. Gangland identity Mick Gatto, who was overseas on business, confirmed Moran as the victim within an hour of the shooting.

"Someone called me this morning and told me he had been shot a number of times and was dead," Mr Gatto said.

Mr Carkeek said he heard four shots before seeing Moran fall to the ground in the doorway of the cafe. "I saw a guy walking out of the shop and falling to the ground," Mr Carkeek said.

"This guy (the shooter) ran off and I heard a car's tyres screech as it drove away."

Homicide squad Detective Inspector Steve Clarke confirmed two gunmen were being hunted. "I believed that both men shot at the deceased," Insp Clarke said.

The gunmen fled the scene on foot and were last seen getting into a dark blue or green car.

The homicide squad conducted the initial investigation, which is likely to be handed over to the Purana gangland taskforce.

Moran's killing is Melbourne's first underworld assassination since 2006 when lawyer Mario Condello was shot dead in the driveway of his suburban home.

It comes three months after a botched murder attempt when a masked man fired a shot through the windscreen of Moran's car.

Maurice Moschini, from the nearby Maddison real estate agency, said he heard about six shots fired about noon. "The thing that's most shocked me was that the street was full of young families out shopping - there are a lot of shaken people walking around," he said.

Union Deli and Cafe owner Anne Boland said this was the first trouble on Union Rd.