The court heard that Sergeant Johann Vella was critically shot while trying to rescue a fellow officer who had already been wounded by John Agius during the intense shootout that shocked Malta on 24th July. As Sharif jumped over a rubble wall to reach Schembri, Agius fired without warning, striking Sharif and causing him to fall to the ground. With two officers trapped inside the property, police first tried to negotiate by calling Agius, but his mobile phone was switched off. When repeated attempts to contact Agius failed, the SIU moved in to rescue the trapped officers. As the team entered, Agius fired a second shot.