A former NSW Police detective says the public shooting of two Sydney women is not unusual in the city's "dirty" underworld, which he says has no rules.
Lametta Fadlallah, 48, and Amy Hazouri, 39, were killed when their car was peppered with bullets in Revesby, in Sydney's south-west, about 9pm on Saturday.
Ms Hazouri, who was a hairdresser, is believed to be an unrelated bystander and had met up with Ms Fadlallah to do her hair.
The killings have been described by police as a new low in Sydney's gangland wars, given what they called an "unwritten law" about not harming women.
"I think that rule of engagement from the law book has been thrown out the window," Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said on Sunday.
But former detective Michael Kennedy, who used to work in the organised crime squad, asked a simple question: "What rules?"
"I don't know why police are saying the rules have been broken, there are no rules in organised crime," he said.
"They don't have a legislator that sets out policies and laws, it's an unregulated industry, and it's a dirty industry."
Mr Kennedy, who was in the police force for 20 years, said a number of women had fallen victim to the gang wars that run deep in Sydney.
Some have been targeted because they got too involved in criminal networks, others because they were police informants.
Police believe Saturday's attack was aimed at Ms Fadlallah, who had criminal associations.
The mother of two was previously married to Kings Cross drug supplier and standover man Helal Safi.
The feared career criminal was found dead in his unit in Pendle Hill last year but police say his death was not suspicious.
Dr Kennedy, who is a lecturer at Western Sydney University, said it was possible Ms Fadlallah was still involved in criminal activity and wasn't "discreet" or "staying in the background".
"We don't know if she was sleeping with the enemy, or whether she's spoken to police about something or whether she's bought into something that's a little bit bigger than what she should be involved in," he said.
Such murders can also be designed as warnings to family members to "stop what you're doing," he said.
Police said the double murder was not believed to be linked to recent underworld feuds which have claimed the lives of known gangsters.
However, Dr Kennedy said he doubted this.
"I've got no idea why they'd be so stupid as to say something like that," he said.
"Because it's clearly an organised crime issue … the reasons [for killings] can be subtle or not so subtle.
"If you look at the bikie world for example, you can actually set them off without trying really hard."
Dr Kennedy said there were several examples of women being targeted after getting involved with criminal figures.
In 1986, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, the former girlfriend of heroin dealer Warren Lanfranchi, was murdered in Centennial Park after speaking out about police corruption.
In 1985, Kathleen Flannery was lucky to escape without injury when about 30 shots were fired at her husband Christopher as the pair walked into their Arncliffe home in 1985.
There have now been 15 people killed in gang-related shootings in Sydney since mid-2020.
Gangsters have become less subtle and more violent, preferring brazen executions to the days of making enemies disappear.
"These days, there's a clear message being sent," Dr Kennedy said.
There were two other people in the car at the time of the shooting at Revesby, they were both uninjured and are assisting police with their investigations.
The sister of Ms Hazouri has set up a fundraiser and says the Bankstown-based hairdresser was the sole provider for their family in Lebanon, who are struggling through the country's economic crisis.
