Gokhan Turkyilmaz shooting investigation: Police say bikie ‘code of silence’ hampering probe
Police say a bikie code of silence is holding back their investigation into a shooting on the Gold Coast that sparked fears of an all-out bikie war.
Crime and Court
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A BIKIE code of silence is holding back an investigation into a shooting that left a fully patched Rebels member in a pool of blood in his front yard and sparked fears of a full-on bikie war, say police.
It has been almost five months since Gokhan Turkyilmaz, a Rebels member at the time, was shot up to eight times in front of his Upper Coomera home, with police yet to arrest anyone for the attack.
Sources close to the investigation have told the Bulletin that numerous people have been questioned over the February 26 shooting, but it has been a case of nobody saw anything or they know nothing.
The sources confirmed they did not believe it to be a random incident and police were continuing to investigate whether it was a “get back” for a shooting at the Logan Hyperdome shopping centre earlier that month, in which it is alleged members of the Logan chapter of the Rebels ambushed members of the Beenleigh chapter of the Bandidos.
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“Look, we’re confident that these people we’ve interviewed know who shot Turkyilmaz, but no one will say anything,” the source said.
“It’s not a random incident, but if no one is telling us what’s going on, it makes it extremely hard.”
Gokhan Turkyilmaz’s brother Emrah, an alleged Rebels associate, took to social media in the hours after the shooting, saying “one by one I’m coming”.
The shooting of Turkyilmaz sparked fears of an all-out bikie war. The Koolsville Tattoo Studio in Brendale, owned by alleged Rebels president Mick Kosenko, was torched in a suspected arson attack days after the Upper Coomera shooting.
While recovering in hospital from the shooting Turkyilmaz posted to social media taunting his attackers: “I’ve had harder sparring sessions.”
He then posted a photo of himself drinking a beer just days after being shot eight times.
Tensions continued to rise when gang-busting police across the southeast swarmed on members of both the Rebels and Bandidos arresting numerous people, squashing potential flare-ups by watching them like hawks and putting them in prison.
In the days after the shooting both Gokhan and Emrah Turkyilmaz were arrested for their alleged involvement in the Logan Hyperdome incident.
Gokhan was charged with affray and acts causing grievous bodily harm.
Emrah was charged with affray and two counts of possessing dangerous drugs.
A number of other associates and members of the Rebels were rounded up across the Coast and Logan, quickly extinguishing any further action by the gang.
Another source told the Bulletin that when police started to focus hard on the alleged gang members, fears of a war diminished.
“We had blokes turning over their patches, they didn’t like the pressure on them,” they said.
“There’s still a little bit of tension bubbling away there, but the good police work put an end to any further bloodshed pretty quickly.”
If you know more about this story, contact Chris McMahon by email at chris.mcmahon@news.com.au
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