Lindita Musai was shot dead next to her husband Veton Musai on New Year's Eve. Photo / Supplied
Lindita Musai was shot dead next to her husband Veton Musai on New Year's Eve. Photo / Supplied
Victoria Police are waiting to interview the father of Lindita Musai, who was shot dead next to her husband Veton Musai on their front veranda around 10.30am on New Year's Eve.
The young couple was gunned down at point-blank range moments after returning home to Yarraville in Melbourne's inner west from a holiday to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.
Ms Musai, 25, who is believed to have been shot first after opening the front door to a knock, died at the scene, news.com.au reports.
Ms Musai's father Osman Shaptafaj, who lived 5km from the couple but was estranged from his daughter, was found soon after a block away with gunshot wounds to his head.
Mr Shaptafaj, 55, is in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital in a critical condition under police guard.
A witness told Channel 7 in Melbourne he had seen a man come out of a bush and shoot himself in the head, fall to the ground, then incredibly get up again and repeat the action.
Osman Shaptafaj was estranged from his daughter. Photo / Supplied
Mr Musai, 29, was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but succumbed to his wounds, dying on New Year's Day about 30 hours after watching his wife fatally shot.
Mr Musai is the son of prominent Albanian-Australian leader Alil Musai, who came to Australia from Yugoslav Macedonia in the 1980s. Mrs Musai was also a member of Melbourne's Albanian community.
The nature of Mr Shaptafaj's wounds has as yet prevented homicide detectives interviewing him, although Victoria Police say they are not searching for anyone else in relation to the shootings.
Police have searched his Altona North home and spoken with his neighbours.
Distraught relatives of the Musais arrived at the Yarraville house soon after the shootings on Tuesday.
Tributes to the "beautiful" and "in-love" couple, who became engaged in late 2017 and married a year later, have since poured in on social media, some written in Albanian.
One wrote: "Very Sad News for this to happen in our Community, Rest in Heavenly Peace … May Your Families find Solace and Peace.
"To Our Friends in the Albanian Community We Are Saddened You Have Lost Two Of Your Family XO."
Another wrote, "May you both, Veton and your gorgeous wife Lindita rest peacefully together in God's garden of eternal peace.
"Such a tragic loss of two so young. Sincere condolences."
Lindita and Veton Musai were gunned down on New Year's Eve at their home. Photo / Supplied
One of Mr Musai's friends from Melbourne's Bayside High School posted a wedding photo of Lindita and Veton, a National Australian Bank team leader and soccer and AFL fan who had a wide circle of friends.
Veton and Lindita, a receptionist at real estate firm Colliers who was remembered as "stunning" and "fun-loving", were about to move into a new house and start planning a family.
In photos of the couple's engagement party, at which they danced to traditional music wrapped in the Albanian flag, Ms Musai poses with her mother and brother, Mr Musai, his parents and two brothers.
Mr Musai's father, Alil, is the former president of the Melbourne Albanian Community who in 2000 supported Kosovo refugees from the Yugoslavian war being sent home by then immigration minister Philip Ruddock.
Mr Shaptafaj, who does not appear to have been a guest at either the couple's engagement or wedding celebrations, has cryptic messages posted on his Facebook page.
One photo of Mr Shaptafaj, also believed to have emigrated to Australia from Macedonia, has an image of a lone black sheep among a flock of white sheep.
Another image is superimposed with the words "Love me or hate me, both are in my favour. If you love me I'll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I'll always be on your mind."
Another post has the words: "Life asked death 'why do people love me but hate you?' Death responded, 'Because you are a beautiful lie and I am a painful truth'."
