Brodie Antoniak arrested over Narrabundah, Canberra shooting
A court has heard how a man ordered his family to “get in the bath tub” before shots rang out in a suburban street. A man (pictured) has faced court on allegations he was involved.
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The target of a shooting in Canberra’s southern suburbs told his family to hide in the bathtub as the gunman fired into a house after a dispute over a ute, a court has heard.
Brodie Antoniak, 31, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with property damage, discharging a firearm and endangering life.
The court heard the shooting was prompted by a dispute over a silver Ford ute.
Police allege Antoniak’s mate, Gary Hughes — the target of the shooting — lent him $7000 in 2017, which Antoniak used to buy the vehicle.
Antoniak never repaid the money, but returned the ute to Mr Humphries in recent weeks in partial settlement of the debt.
According to police, Mr Hughes then sold the ute, but it is alleged Antoniak wanted the ute back, eventually issuing an ultimatum telling Mr Hughes words to the effect of: “If you don’t get the ute back I’m going to come back and shoot you”.
The court heard there was a second unknown man in the Holden with Antoniak when he showed up at Goyder St, Narrabundah on Tuesday.
Mr Hughes told police he yelled out to his family: “He’s here, he’s here, get in the bath tub”.
Mr Hughes rang triple-0, and the operator heard loud bangs, believed to be gunshots, in the background.
Mr Hughes told police he feared Antoniak would return to shoot him and his family.
Antoniak, it is alleged, then sent Mr Hughes a text message saying: “You have got until 5am to return the ute”.
A second text message said: “5am maggot”.
A neighbour who woke when he heard loud banging noises in the street told police the shooter had a distinctive “rats tail” haircut.
Police say the weapon was a sawn-off .22 rifle.
A search of Antoniak’s house did not uncover any firearms.
Magistrate Beth Campbell refused Antoniak bail, saying there was “a working firearm still in the community, unlocated, and to which the defendant has had access in the past”.
She said Antoniak had made significant threats to people he knows.
Ms Campbell said making violent threats against others, and allegedly acting on them, was “conduct that can’t be condoned in the community”.
“The facts (alleged by police) suggest that he threatened to use a sawn off rifle, came back … when better minded people might have cooled down,” she said.
Antoniak returns to court on December 2.