Innocent victim of pool hall drive-by shooting may have been caught up in bikie feud

Innocent victim of pool hall drive-by shooting may have been caught up in bikie feud – as cops hunt for ute used in the attack

A man shot dead outside a pool hall in Melbourne’s west might have been an innocent victim of a feud between ‘rocket scientist’ bikies.

Ikenasio Tuivasa, 33, died and a 24-year-old man suffered serious injuries in a drive-by shooting outside the Westwood Drive pool hall before midnight on February 27.

Victoria Police can find no motive for the crime and they have released images of the ute believed to be involved in the shooting.

Ikenasio Tuivasa, 33, died and a 24-year-old man suffered serious injuries in a drive-by shooting outside the Westwood Drive pool hall before midnight on February 27

‘The type of characters running around in OMCG (outlaw motorcycle gangs) are generally not rocket scientists and there are a number of examples over recent years of OMCG groups not doing their homework and killing an unintended innocent victim,’ Detective Inspector Tim Day said in a statement.

A Toyota Hilux SR5 ute stopped outside the pool hall and a passenger called out to Mr Tuivasa’s group before firing at them.

The driver and passenger appeared to be Pacific Islanders and it’s believed the passenger spoke Tongan.

Mr Day said there were a number of altercations leading up to the drive-by shooting involving Pacific Islanders near the pool hall and other similar northern suburbs venues.

Victoria Police can find no motive for the crime and they have released images of the ute believed to be involved in the shooting

Victoria Police can find no motive for the crime and they have released images of the ute believed to be involved in the shooting

Mr Day said police also knew the pool hall was frequented by Hells Angels and Comanchero members.

Police have discovered there was a separate altercation outside the pool hall the night before Mr Tuivasa’s death, when a firearm was produced, and they are trying to work out whether the two incidents are linked.

Police believe the ute involved in the shooting was a dark grey 2017 Toyota Hilux SR5 dual-cab ute, with a chrome roll bar on the rear tray and stock wheels.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

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