Four people have been injured in a drive-by shooting outside a venue hosting a boxing event in Loganholme, south of Brisbane, with a 19-year-old woman described as being in a critical and unstable condition.
Queensland Police said officers were called after reports of shots being fired from a vehicle outside licensed premises at about 8.15pm. The vehicle was seen leaving the scene and police said there was not believed to be any ongoing threat to the public.
Two men, aged 38 and 37, were seriously injured but in a stable condition. A third man, aged 27, was also in a stable condition.
The incident took place outside Fitzys Loganholme on Bryants Road, where the Logan City Titles Fight Night had been scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Drive-by shooting follows boxing event
The event reportedly featured amateur and professional bouts involving men, women and teenagers. The fights were held at the back of the building, while the shooting happened at the front.
Damien Smith, a coach at Deception Bay Boxing Club, said his fighters and their families were safe and that he did not believe the boxing event had been targeted.
“I feel like a lot of people are jumping to conclusions about what happened – I don’t think boxing had anything to do with it,” he said.
“The fights were held at the back of the building, and everything happened in the front. We didn’t even know there was a shooting (at first).”
The vehicle reportedly involved was later found on fire at Waterfront West.
Tyler Florance, 18, said he heard three or four gunshots while cleaning his car across the road.
“We could hear a lot of screaming,” he said. “I couldn’t believe that something like this was happening so close to my home.”
Logan City Mayor Jon Raven said the shooting had sent a shockwave through the city.
“People are scared, this has sent a shockwave through Logan because we’ve never seen anything like this happen in our city before,” he told the Today programme.
“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.”
The Logan City Titles organisers said they were “heartbroken” by the incident and described the event as a family occasion showcasing local talent.
“These types of incidents have no place in the boxing community and any part of the broader community,” they said in a statement.
Fighter Talia Louise Preston, from Caboolture, said: “Tonight broke me. My heart hurts for everyone. For anyone who’s injured, I pray you pull through.”
Police are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact them.
