Queensland police are investigating the murder of a former high-profile member of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, Shane Bowden, on the Gold Coast.
The 48-year-old was charged previously for breaching Queensland border restriction when he arrived from Melbourne.
He had arrived in the state with a gunshot wound to his leg after surviving a reported drive-by shooting and wanted to recover with his family.
Police said Bowden had returned from the gym and was in the driveway when he was ambushed by two men at a unit complex on Cox Road at Pimpama.
“He’s basically driven into his driveway, hasn’t even got out of his car and he’s been executed,” the South Eastern Police Regional Crime Coordinator, Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith, said.
Police launched a manhunt and identified two burnt-out cars nearby a short time later, the scene has since been sealed for investigation, and the suspects were said to be dressed in dark and light clothing.
“There’s been two burnt-out cars located tonight, one at Beenleigh, one at Ormeau and we’re certainly looking at the connections between those two vehicles and the murder of this gentleman,” he said.
He also suggested that since the victim was a high-profile member of the Mongol bikie gang, it is believed that he might’ve been killed by other members of the same gang.
“Nobody deserves to die in this manner but, you live by the sword, you die by the sword,” he said.
“It’s important that people understand that these gangs are criminals that survive on retribution, violence, and threats and if anyone thinks anything otherwise they’re an idiot.”
He said it was too early to tell if there will be any retaliation from this attack.
“It obviously makes things harder when these types of gangs are involved because they have their own code of silence,” he said.
Photo by The Ride Academy on Unsplash and used under a Creative Commons Attribution. The image has not been modified.
