source : the age
Four people were injured in a drive-by shooting at Loganholme, south of Brisbane, on Saturday evening that left a 19-year-old woman – believed to be an innocent bystander – in a critical condition.
Police said they received reports at 8.15pm that a number of shots were fired outside Fitzy’s Loganholme on Bryants Road, where a boxing event was being held.
On Sunday, they confirmed a 19-year-old Jimboomba woman was shot in the head and neck and remains in a critical condition at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
The other victims were a 38-year-old Browns Plains man, a 37-year-old Salisbury man and a 27-year-old Cornubia man. All were shot in their abdomens and were in stable conditions on Sunday morning.
Speaking at Logan Police District Headquarters on Sunday, Detective Inspector Ian Galpin said the event organisers had told police there was nothing to suggest something might occur prior to “at least half-a-dozen shots” being fired.
Galpin said a Mitsubishi approached the drop-off zone near those who were injured.
“A number of shots were then fired from the front passenger window of the vehicle,” he said.
Witnesses and CCTV saw two men wearing balaclavas and gloves in the vehicle. Police were searching for them and at least one other person, believed to have picked them up after they set the Mitsubishi on fire.
The car was found set alight on Maloney Road at Waterford West. A second vehicle collected the pair and Galpin said they had reason to believe one of them may have been burnt.
A dual-cab ute was also set alight on Beaudesert Road at Tamborine. Galpin said investigations were under way to see if that second vehicle was involved in the incident.
Galpin said police had only limited contact with the victims so far.
“I don’t believe the young lady was an intended victim of this,” he said.
“I believe she is an innocent bystander. Investigations are ongoing into that very question.”
Asked about the fact that a young woman’s life now hung in the balance, Galpin said he was appalled.
“It’s horrific,” he said. “It’s something that her family should never have to go through.”
Taskforce Maxima, the Queensland police bikie squad, was involved in the investigation.
Galpin said given the circumstances, with families and children at the event, “it could have been much worse”.
Logan Mayor Jon Raven said he was not aware of any significant bikie activity in his city.
“Our camera network is second to none and we’re the only council in the state that has a 24/7 police presence in our camera room,” he said.
“If there’s things like that happening in our city that were causing disruptions, we’d know about it – and we’re not seeing it on our network.”
Raven said the Logan community was shaken by the events of Saturday night.
“I’d just gotten home from work and I started getting calls from people who were there or nearby, trying to understand what was happening,” he said.
“The panic was real for those people. You could hear it in their voices on the phone, and the people who called me later were clearly in shock.
“This is devastating for our community.”
Raven said the people responsible for the violence were cowards.
“My clearest message for people who were scared last night and still today is that, first of all, police said there is no further threat and we have to trust our men and women in blue and their assessment,” he said.
“But more than that, the people that you see every day in the streets of Logan are good people. They’re your friends. They’re your neighbours. They’re part of your community.
“These individuals do not represent the people of Logan, and they do not represent what we’re about.”
In a statement, event organiser Logan City Titles said they were praying for the victims’ full recoveries.
“We are heartbroken about the incident that occurred at the fight night,” they said.
“Logan City Titles was a family event, an event for our community, showcasing local talent, hard work and everyone’s skills inside the ring.
“These types of incidents have no place in the boxing community or any part of the broader community.
“As a team, we are working through it and dealing with the emotions that come with this. Right now, our thoughts go out to the victims and all that were affected.”
Speaking on the Gold Coast, Premier David Crisafulli said people should not be on a night out in Queensland and “have to second-guess whether or not the next car that’s driving by them might be firing bullets and raining bullets at them”.
“That is one of those tragedies that people look at and recoil with sorrow, with anger, with a resolve to want to get to the bottom of it,” he said.
“I can assure you, police are doing absolutely everything in their powers to make sure that those responsible are arrested.
“It’s just completely unacceptable that people on a night out at a pub, doing something as Queenslander as you can possibly find, can be caught and find themselves as collateral damage in such a horrendous, horrendous crime.”
Crisafulli said he hoped the offenders would be swiftly brought to justice.
“Earlier this year, we passed amongst the strongest new laws for drive-by shooting in the country, and it’s my hope that these people responsible for it are arrested and that those new laws apply to them,” he said.
“Because this isn’t the Queensland we want to see, and those laws are there – and they’re there for that purpose.
“…I sincerely hope that they get a chance to be tested.”
Waterford MP and shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman, whose electorate includes parts of Loganholme, paid tribute to victims of the attack and praised the emergency response.
“We understand there may be significant concern throughout our community. There are many rumours circulating online, so please avoid sharing unverified information and stay informed through official updates on the Queensland Police Service (QPS) Facebook page,” she said.
