(video) — At least nine bullets were fired into the luxury car of notorious bikie Shane Bowden, who was killed in an execution-style attack outside his Gold Coast home.Bowden, 47, was returning to his Pimpama property just after midnight yesterday when he was shot in the head and chest multiple times.
A police manhunt for two people accused of the fatal shooting, one said to be wearing dark clothes at the time and the other light-coloured clothes, has continued today.Authorities are scouring through CCTV and street camera vision, expected to be released in coming days, in the hope of tracking down the two people.Police have also not ruled out that more people may have been involved in the attack.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate today voiced his concern about the incident.
“We’re shocked and disappointed that the activities of the bikie gangs has again been highlighted on the Gold Coast,” he told reporters.Bowden is understood to have left his Pimpana unit about 10.30pm on Sunday, stopping in at an unidentified McDonald’s restaurant at some point in the night, and working out at the Empire Gym in Arundel before returning home at 12.10am.It was then that he was allegedly ambushed in his BMW in his driveway and killed.Crime scenes were yesterday set up at the unit in Pimpama and also in neighbouring Ormeau, where two burnt-out cars were seized.
Outside the apartment, tempers flared yesterday among some of Bowden’s friends, including one man who lashed out at 9News’ cameras with punches.”He’s a good guy. Why was he ambushed? He’s a good guy,” one man was heard saying.A police guard stationed outside the property yesterday also stayed at the home overnight.The bikie spent time in jail for the infamous ballroom blitz brawl in Carrara on the Gold Coast in 2006.
At the time he was a patched Finks Bikie member, before defecting to the Mongols, who later kicked him out.9News understands Bowden had been trying to repatch with the Finks this year and that he had club paraphernalia inside his home at the time of his killing.His killing has raised concerns of a possible all-out bikie war, however police have played down suggestions it poses a risk to the public by saying they believe the incident was a targeted, personal attack.Former police officer and professor in Criminology at Bond University, Terry Goldsworthy, investigated Bowden’s involvement in the 2006 brawl and also ruled out suggestions of a full-scale gang war.
“There’ll be some sort of repercussions from this,” he said.”The fact that they’ve been prepared to go into that quite secure area, where the houses are, they’ve known his movements, they’ve known his routine, they’ve waited for him.”The use of multiple shots is just making sure that the job is completed.”Mr Goldsworthy also criticised current laws targeting members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.”We need to relook at our strategy for looking at the bikies up here,” he said.Police manhunt for Gold Coast bikie’s killers continues”We’ve had 400 consorting offences and not one conviction.”
