Widow says husband saved her by hanging up as he was gunned down outside Sydney pub

A heartbroken widow has revealed that her husband, Gilbert Shino, 39, ended their phone call just seconds before he was shot multiple times as he and a friend left The Harold hotel in Forest Lodge, in what police describe as a targeted attack connected to gang activity in Western Sydney. Shino died at the scene, while his companion, Maradona Yalda, 31, was wounded but survived. Police have said the investigation is ongoing under Strike Force Westmoore, which is focused on gang-related violence in the region.

The shooting occurred around 6:35 p.m. on August 17 as Shino and Yalda were walking to a car parked about 100 meters away. Authorities say up to 15 gunshots rang out, and a bullet struck a window, narrowly missing a female staff member. Patrons and staff were left fearing for their lives as bullets flew in the direction of the pub. Leichhardt Superintendent Alf Sergi told radio and police officials that investigators believe it was a targeted attack, though officers have not ruled out more than one gunman and are seeking a dark-colored vehicle that may have been involved. Police appealed to the public for dashcam footage and other information to piece together the sequence of events.

Shino, a tradesman and devoted father of two daughters, Montana and Isla, had been in Sydney’s inner-west for an evening out to watch a UFC match with Yalda. His wife, Natasha Avakian, who shared updates on social media, described the moment in stark personal detail as she posted images and messages from the night. In an emotional Instagram post, Avakian wrote that she was on the phone with Shino in the seconds before he died and that he saved her from hearing the trauma of the attack. She wrote: “I can’t believe I’m standing at the last place where you took your last breath. I can’t take it Gib, it kills me that this is how you left me. You were on the phone to me when it happened, you hung up on me the second before. Even in your last moment, you saved me, you protected me, you made sure I wouldn’t hear anything.”

Avakian also shared that the couple had attended the Australian Open together earlier in the year and that she and Shino were raising two daughters after suffering a miscarriage of a son. She posted a photo of the two of them with red roses and later wrote about re-watching 2000s TV series The O.C., noting that they were nearing a scene where a character is shot, an observation she found “ironic.” The widow’s social posts also show her and their daughters visiting Shino’s grave on Father’s Day, wearing T-shirts that read, “Dad I used to be your angel, now you are mine.” In a later reflection, Avakian wrote that time does not heal grief and that the burden grows heavier rather than lighter.

Police have said that Shino’s friend Yalda returned to Australia just days before the murder and was aware there was a contract on his head. Yalda is said to have ties to an Assyrian street gang known as DLASTHR, and reports have connected him to former Comanchero bikie Andre Kallita, who has since left the club. Friends of Shino have insisted he had no gang involvement, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Yalda. Investigators have not disclosed any motive beyond possible gang links tied to the broader Western Sydney violence problem.

The Harolds incident was one of several high-profile shootings in Sydney in recent months. Local residents were told to stay indoors as investigators gathered evidence and questioned witnesses. Authorities have indicated the incident is being treated as a targeted attack rather than an indiscriminate crime, though they would not speculate on the involvement of a single shooter or multiple assailants. A GoFundMe set up in Shino’s memory has raised more than $113,000 to help his family, underscoring the community impact of the violence.

This month marks the 13th public shooting in Sydney over the past nine months, and the fourth fatal attack, a pattern that has prompted renewed calls for cooperation from communities and more robust intelligence efforts to disrupt suspected criminal networks. Not all victims have had known gang ties, illustrating the broader scope of violence in the city.

Authorities continued to press for information from witnesses, including motorists with dashcams who may have captured the moments leading up to or following the ambush. Police urged anyone with relevant footage or details to contact Crime Stoppers and cited the ongoing nature of the Strike Force Westmoore investigation as critical to solving the case.