by Tara Cosoleto, AAP
An accused gunman has been denied bail after allegedly shooting another man during an altercation, leaving the victim with shotgun pellets in his heart and lung.
Christopher Pasi, 31, made the bail application in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after being arrested in Melbourne’s southeast.
It’s alleged Pasi fired two shots at the 25-year-old man outside a funeral home in Dandenong about 5am on Monday.
The court was told Pasi and two associates confronted the victim and his friends after they were allegedly caught stealing from a nearby motel.
It’s alleged after the victim produced a tomahawk, Pasi was handed a sawn-off shotgun which he fired at the victim.
The 31-year-old allegedly fired a second shot about seven seconds later which struck the victim as he fled.
The injured man was taken to The Alfred hospital in a serious but not life-threatening condition.
He had to be placed in an induced coma after shot pellets were found in his heart and lung.
Pasi was arrested in Hallam on Thursday and remanded in custody.
He’s also facing kidnapping charges stemming from an incident on September 30, 2023.
It’s alleged he forced a man into his car, drove him to a Cranbourne address and kept him there for an hour, threatening and assaulting him.
Detective Senior Constable Kai Wilkie-Bourke told the court Pasi should not be released on bail because he was a danger to the community.
Police were yet to locate the firearm used in the shooting and his co-accused had not been identified, the detective said.
There were concerns Pasi would hinder the police investigation by contacting his co-accused and tampering with evidence if released, Det Sen Const Wilkie-Bourke said
Pasi, who represented himself in court, told Magistrate Carolyn Howe he should be released on bail because his one-year-old son was having a procedure next week.
Ms Howe refused his application, saying the risk to the community was too high.
“(The allegations) are extremely serious and if both are proven, they carry significant terms of imprisonment,” she said.
Pasi was remanded in custody ahead of his next court date in May.
