Australia - Second victim in dancer shooting

OFF THE WIRE

goldcoast.com.au
A MAN may also have been wounded at a party where young Gold Coast woman was shot through the leg.
Bikies and strippers were believed to be socialising at the luxury Broadbeach Waters house, when a 26-year-old woman was shot through the upper thigh about 8am on Monday.
Police were yesterday attempting to interview the woman, who remained in intensive care after undergoing surgery.
Detectives yesterday revealed there may have been a second victim, who left the Namatjira Court house before police arrived.
However, police said the nature of the man's injury, whether he had also been shot, was unknown.
Police divers spent yesterday afternoon trawling nearby canals for a weapon.
Gold Coast Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent Dave Hutchinson said police had not established a bikie connection at the house, and the woman's occupation was unknown.
"We have spoken with a number of people who were at the house, who are currently assisting with our inquiries.
"There's nothing to suggest motorcycle gangs were involved at this present time."
He confirmed members from Taskforce Hydra, the police unit established to investigate bikie crime, had attended the scene on Monday, but had not returned to the Coast yesterday.
The crime has shocked the suburban street, with one neighbour saying she was startled to hear outlaw motorbike gang warfare may be occurring in her neighbourhood.
She said the home owner, a heavily tattooed man aged in his early 30s, owned a motorbike and occasionally other bike riders would attend the house.
"You see the odd one, but not on a regular basis," she said.
"I didn't see anyone on Sunday night or Monday.
"I won't be very pleased if they are bikies, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that.
"It's a very quiet street, to hear a girl was shot, we're just stunned."
The woman pointed out a security camera on the gate, which she said fed back to a television monitor inside the house.
But she said the owner, who had lived there for five years, was house proud and a friendly enough neighbour.
Forensic officers were still scouring the house for clues yesterday morning after cordoning off the house and establishing a crime scene on Monday.
Det Supt Hutchinson refused to say if the home owner or attendees were known to police or if drugs were found in the house.
It was the fourth shooting on the Gold Coast this month, and Det Supt Hutchinson said police would thoroughly investigate any gun crime.
"The police are obviously concerned with any incident involving a firearm and we're treating this seriously and putting as many resources into it as we can," he said.

Police probe bikie link to Coast shooting


BIKIE and stripper links are being probed by police investigating the Gold Coast's latest shooting.
A woman believed to be an exotic dancer, 22, was shot in the thigh at a luxury Broadbeach Waters house yesterday morning in the fourth Glitter Strip shooting incident in two weeks.
It is believed she had been partying at the waterfront Namatjira Crt house with bikie gang associates and other dancers from a Surfers Paradise stripclub.
Police were called about 9am by paramedics who took the woman to the Gold Coast Hospital with what was described as a non-life-threatening injury.
But police investigations have been frustrated after the victim refused to be interviewed.
The victim was yesterday recovering from surgery but police hope to interview her today, if she agrees to cooperate.
Two men and a woman wearing blue police-issue forensics suits were taken away for questioning by detectives about 10.30am.
About 30 minutes later, a Gold Coast criminal lawyer, who specialises in representing bikies, arrived in Namatjira Crt in a black Porsche but was turned away by police who had cordoned off the street and declared it a crime scene.
Police searched a nearby park and children's playground for the weapon.
They said the investigation would continue whether or not the injured woman agreed to make a complaint or be interviewed.