Teen girl fighting for life after ‘horrific’ drive-by shooting possibly ‘innocent bystander’
Terrified families were forced to cower underneath a boxing ring as an evening at a pub south of Brisbane turned into a nightmare when four people, including a teenage girl, were injured in a mass shooting.
A 19-year-old woman – believed to be an innocent bystander – is fighting for her life and three men are seriously injured after being shot in a drive-by shooting at Fitzy’s Loganholme on Saturday.
A teenager is fighting for her life after becoming caught on the crossfire outside the Logan pub. 9News
Police are hunting for at least three people after the “horrific” shooting, which unfolded as the pub hosted a popular boxing event.
Some patrons had stepped outside during an intermission when a Mitsubishi approached a drop-off zone and one of two balaclava-clad people inside opened fire.
They say “at least a dozen” shots were fired around 8.15pm.
The injured woman was shot in the neck and head and remains in a critical condition following surgery.
Three men, aged 27, 38 and 37, were also shot and are in serious but stable conditions.
All three were shot in the abdomen.
Detective Inspector Ian Galvin said the young woman was likely an “innocent bystander” who was caught in the crossfire.
“I don’t believe the young lady was an intended victim of this; I believe her to be an innocent bystander,” Galvin told reporters on Sunday.
Detective Inspector Ian Galvin said police were still identifying a motive or target of the shooting. 9News
“It appals me greatly, its horrific, it’s something that her family should never have to go through.”
He added there “appears to be a level of pre-planning.”
Four people were shot as the gunmen opened fire about 8.15pm. Today
A car matching the description of one fleeing the scene was later found burnt out. Today
But he said it “could have been worse.”
“We’ve got an incident where we’ve got at least two people in a vehicle, they’re disguised and firing a firearm, a weapon, into members of the public,” he added.
“We’ve got a young lady who is currently fighting for life, and I appeal to anyone who has any information whatsoever to contact police.”
Families were at the event, with video on social media appearing to show children hiding under the boxing ring when the shots rang out.
Amateur boxers, some as young as 10, had stepped into the ring just hours before the attack.
Father Aaron Fail witnessed the horror unfold and said he helped drag the injured people to safety.
He told 9News some patrons used their own T-shirts as tourniquets to help those bleeding.
“[I saw] people laying on the ground, blood everywhere. We tried to bring people inside to make sure they were OK,” Fail said.
People had gathered outside during an intermission of the boxing event. Cameron Atfield
Galvin said it was too early to confirm a motive for the shooting or who was the target.
The boxing event, organised by Logan City Titles, which had been advertised for about two months on social media, was an event for both adults and children.
Police said the organisers were cooperating with police, and said they weren’t aware of any information that suggested an attack like this may happen.
Bullet holes were seen in the walls of the pub. Today
Galvin did not confirm whether the shooting may have had links to organised crime or bikie gangs.
The Mitsubishi was found burned out on Maloney Road in Waterford West, about 12 kilometres away.
Galvin said CCTV appeared to show one of the people in the car injuring themselves when they set the car alight.
Police at the scene on Sunday. Cameron Atfield
A dual cab ute was found burnt out on Beenleigh Beaudesert Road in Tambourine, with police investigating whether it is linked to the shooting.
He appealed for anyone with any information to contact police.
Shooting sends ‘shockwaves’ through Logan
Logan City Mayor Jon Raven told Today people were “scared” and shocked after the shooting, especially due to the family nature of the boxing event.
“This has sent a shockwave through Logan because we’ve never seen anything like this happen in our city before,” he said.
“Our hearts go out obviously to the victims and the staff and the people at this boxing event. I’ve been to one of these events before, they’re really family-friendly environment, and I know there’s lots of children who were there, and this will impact them for the rest of their lives.”
Raven said he knew the man who organised the boxing event, and said it was aimed to be a way to help young people stay away from violence and crime.
Locals are still trying to grasp the violence of the attack. Today
“He will be devastated this has happened, because he loves boxing, and uses it as a tool to empower and reconnect young people who might be going off the rails, and this is the opposite of what he’ll want to see,” Raven said.
Logan City Titles posted a statement on social media on Sunday morning, expressing their grief at the shooting.
“We are heartbroken about the incident that occurred at the fight night,” it 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.”
Nationals MP, David Littleproud said the shooting was “frightening.”
Logan City Mayor Jon Raven said it was difficult to come to terms with what happened. Today
“The malicious intent to just drive by and open fire, with the intent to harm and to kill,” he told Today.
“I don’t know what our country’s come to. People can’t go and celebrate and do things that they enjoy.”
Witness recalled hearing loud and consecutive noises, followed by a quick response from emergency services.
“We heard a pretty consistent bang, [it went] bang bang bang,” Tyler Florance told 9News.
“There were ambos everywhere, cops everywhere, ambulance flew off as soon as we got here.”
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