Second man dies in Lewisham shooting linked to St Michael Fight Club
The founding member of a secretive inner west fight club has died in hospital days after a violent double shooting in a leafy Lewisham street on Friday.
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A founding member of the secretive Saint Michaels Fight Club has died in hospital days after a double shooting in a quiet suburban street also took the life of another man.
Aleksandar Stefanovic, 36, was shot in the chest in the middle of the afternoon in Lewisham on Friday afternoon.
A resident on Henry St found Stefanovic’s body on the grass beside the road before calling triple-0.
Minutes later, 55-year-old Albert Rick Difloriano, was found with a gunshot wound to his head in a property on Victoria St around the corner from where Stefanovic‘s body was found.
Unsure what the situation was inside the home, tactical police descended on the corner block before carefully going inside where they found a critically injured Difloriano.
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Miraculously, he was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious condition but alive.
Police have now revealed Difloriano died from his injuries in hospital last night.
Police have been told Difloriano and Stefanovic had an argument on Henry St around 1pm on Friday before Stefanovic was shot.
Sources believe Difloriano then went to the Victoria St property, next to the Lewisham Food Market, and shot himself.
A woman who witnessed the shooting was led from the scene with paper bags taped to her hands and taken to Newtown Police Station.
The Victoria St property is the registered address of The Saint Michael Fight Club – a secretive gym with a dark history.
Mr Stefanovic’s name is also linked to the property and business name.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said there were always motorbikes parked outside the clubhouse.
“When my dog was a puppy I would pass and they had ferocious dogs that would froth at the mouth,” she said.
“There were always motorbikes parked out the front and we got a bad vibe.”
Police were still investigating the cause of the fatal shooting but it appeared Mr Difloriano and Mr Stefanovic had business ties dating back several years.
It is understood Mr Difloriano was a founding member of the fight club, which was embroiled in a murder investigation six years ago.
Brad Dillon, 25, was shot dead in Leichhardt in 2014 after trying to retrieve a $2000 debt on his sister‘s behalf from her ex-boyfriend, Adriano Riccio.
Riccio was a member of the Saint Michael Fight Club and the money was meant to fund a stay at a drug rehab clinic on the Gold Coast.
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Riccio was partners in an Oxford St nightclub with kickboxer Antonio “Tony” Bagnato, who also fought under the Saint Michael Fight Club banner.
Dillon arranged to meet people at the Leichhardt Market to recover his sister‘s debt but was shot in the back.
Two days later, Bagnato fled the country to Thailand, where he was heard boasting about plans to set up a chapter of the Saint Michael Fight Club in southeast Asia.
Homicide detectives attempted to get an insight into the fight club, which hosted fight nights with guests like boxing legend Jeff Fenech, but were stonewalled.
Some members were then hauled before the NSW Crime Commission and forced to answer questions about the gym.
That included Difloriano, who was charged with providing false evidence to the commission.
He pleaded not guilty and the charges were dismissed in the Newtown Local Court. NSW Police were ordered to pay Difloriano’s costs of $42,000.
Bagnato‘s cousin, Diego Carbone, was eventually convicted over Mr Dillon’s murder while a warrant it still outstanding for Bagnato’s arrest.
Bagnato was convicted over the bashing death of Hells Angel bikie Wayne Schneider in Thailand in 2015. He was sentenced to death but the penalty was significantly reduced on appeal.