Police probe vision of Holden Commodore after Ballarat bikie enforcer shot

Police have released vision of a Holden Commodore they believe could help solve the mystery of how a Bandidos sergeant-at-arms ended up in hospital with gunshot wounds.

A Ballarat bikie enforcer may have been shot over a dispute with another gang.

Bandidos sergeant-at-arms Matthew Rizzo was wounded and dropped at a local hospital as club members from around the country converged on Ballarat for a national run late last year.

Detectives from the organised crime Echo Taskforce have released footage of a Holden Commodore they hope may help glean clues about who launched the attack on Rizzo.

The 29-year-old from the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol suffered gunshot injuries to the upper-body in a mysterious incident in the early hours of October 1.

Police believe the violence erupted near the Bandidos’ clubhouse in Greenbank Court, Delacombe, but details remain sparse.

They only became aware of the shooting after Rizzo’s trip to hospital to be patched up.

Investigators visited the clubhouse the next morning and carried out a major search of the area.

Echo Taskforce have released footage of a Holden Commodore they hope may help glean clues about who launched the attack on Matthew Rizzo. Source: Victoria Police

The CCTV footage shows a light-coloured Holden Commodore they believe may be linked to the shooting.

Detectives want to talk to anyone with information about the Commodore or who knows its whereabouts.

“Investigators are also keen to speak to anyone who may have information about the shooting and who is responsible, or what the motivation was,” a Victoria Police statement said.

One theory reported in the period after the shooting was that it was related to an internal dispute, possibly involving control of the gang’s clubhouse.

The Bandidos headquarters at Ballarat.

Detective Inspector Michael Daly of the Echo Taskforce said there were other possibilities.

“We believe it was targeted at the victim, however we are still working through whether this was as a result of an internal dispute within the Bandidos or some kind of disagreement with another club,” Inspector Daly said.

“There will be people out there who know the reason for the shooting and if they don’t know who was directly involved, then they will have their suspicions. We are keen to speak to these people and as always, this information can be provided anonymously.

Inspector Daly said the shooting could have had fatal consequences for Mr Rizzo.

“This shooting was a reckless incident with seemingly no regard for the safety of anyone else, and we’re lucky more people weren’t impacted,” he said.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.