A dispute over stolen motorbikes ended in a fatal shooting in Ipswich after two groups of men confronted one another in a North Booval street, the Brisbane Supreme Court has heard.
Carlo Piero Stewart, 31, was shot in the thighs and back during the confrontation on July 27, 2021. Prosecutors allege the gunfire erupted after Stewart arrived at Brayden Alan Wilson-Knight’s home with nine other men to recover unregistered trail bikes which had been sold to Wilson-Knight.
Wilson-Knight had armed himself with a .22 calibre handgun before driving to the planned exchange with Tye Joshua Bickle and a 16-year-old boy, Justice Peter Callaghan was told.
Crown prosecutor David Nardone said Stewart’s group approached Wilson-Knight’s family “in a threatening way”. Wilson-Knight then took the handgun to the front lawn and confronted Stewart.
“Carlo Stewart in essence invited Wilson-Knight to pull the trigger and he did,” Mr Nardone said. “But it did not fire.”
During the ensuing fight, Bickle took possession of the weapon after Stewart allegedly struck him in the head with a baseball bat. Mr Nardone said Bickle initially fired away from the group before the remaining shots were discharged indiscriminately.
“All 10 shots within seven seconds,” Mr Nardone told the court.
Stewart was hit and immediately driven from the scene in a utility vehicle. Wilson-Knight, Bickle and the teenager were deliberately struck by a small SUV as they left on foot.
The three were initially charged with murder but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts each of grievous bodily harm.
Stewart’s mother described him in a victim impact statement as a “lovable larrikin” with many hopes and dreams. His sister said she had wanted him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding, adding: “Losing Carlo took a piece of me that I will never get back.”
Wilson-Knight, now 29, was genuinely sorry to Stewart’s family and his co-offenders, his barrister Scott Lynch said.
Bickle, now 33, said through his lawyer that he had panicked and fired after the blow from the baseball bat fractured his skull. Defence barrister Angus Edwards said the injury had left him permanently unable to work.
“The punishment he has already received is far greater than what the court can impose,” Mr Edwards said. “He will be reminded forever that he is no longer the man he once was.”
The teenager’s barrister argued that only 43 seconds had passed between her client first becoming aware that his group had a gun and Stewart being shot.
Justice Callaghan reserved his sentencing decision until October 1. Wilson-Knight and Bickle were remanded in custody.
