A suspected foot soldier of crime boss Kazem "Kaz" Hamad was shot dead when the victim of an aggravated burglary turned the gun back on him, a coroner has been told.
Joseph Romano, 19, died on the nature strip of a Donnybrook home in Melbourne's north in the early hours of January 7, 2024.
He had gone to the property with Hakan Esser and Ali Saleh with the intention to assault resident Darcey Curran, the Victorian Coroners Court was told.
The trio smashed the windows of the master bedroom where Mr Curran's heavily pregnant partner Tayla Grannan was sleeping.
Mr Curran, who was outside at the time, rushed into the house and saw two of the masked men leaning over his partner while the third was standing near the bedroom door.
Mr Curran told detectives the one closest to the door had a gun and he wrestled the weapon off him before firing some shots.
Romano and Esser were both struck by bullets during the incident but Esser was able to flee while Romano died at the scene.
Some of Romano's family were present on Friday morning as coroner Paresa Spanos held a summary inquest into his death.
She was told Mr Curran was not charged over the fatal shooting because prosecutors determined there was evidence he was acting in self-defence.
Esser and Saleh both pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court over the aggravated burglary and have since been sentenced.
A fourth man believed to be connected to the incident was not charged due to insufficient evidence.
Romano had no prior convictions but he had become involved in tobacco store extortions, assaults and arsons, Detective Senior Constable Daniel Fallone told the coroner.
It was believed the 19-year-old and his co-offenders were being used as foot soldiers for Middle Eastern crime boss Kazem "Kaz" Hamad, the detective said.
Hamad was deported from Australia in 2023 but it was believed he was continuing to direct his crime operations from overseas.
He was arrested in Iraq on drug trafficking offences in January.
Police have been unable to determine a motive for the Donnybrook aggravated burglary but they believe it stemmed from Mr Curran's pre-existing connection to Saleh.
Mr Curran also had strong links to the Middle Eastern crime network and outlaw motorcycle gangs, Det Sen Const Fallone said.
"They went there to stab someone," he told the coroner.
"They went in for that serious assault and the tables were effectively turned on them."
The coroner said it appeared Romano was "very much a participant" in the aggravated burglary and he unfortunately was the one who "caught the bullet".
She gave her condolences to Romano's family and indicated she would publish her findings into his death before the end of April.
