Shooters with Australian accents remain on hunt in Bali

Zivan Radmanovic was killed on Saturday when two men broke into the villa he was staying in near the tourist hotspot Canggu.

Bullet holes are seen in the glass door of a villa where one Australian was shot dead and another wounded, in Munggu village. Picture: AFP

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Bali police remain on the hunt for the gunmen who killed an Australian man and wounded another in their villa in Badung regency over the weekend.

“Up until now, no suspects have been apprehended. Please pray that they are caught soon,” Badung Resort Police Chief Arif Batubara told The Australian on Monday.

He denied recent reports that police had arrested two suspected perpetrators. “I can’t confirm that. I don’t know where the media got that information.”

Separately, Bali police spokesman Ariasandy said police have yet to arrest anyone related to the case.

“Our team is still in the field, continuing efforts to locate the suspected perpetrators.”

Authorities launched the manhunt following the incident in the early hours of Saturday, where unidentified men broke into the victims’ villa just after midnight.

Shots were fired into the bathroom and the adjacent room, according to police reports.

The deceased was identified as Zivan Radmanovic, 32, and the injured victim as 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, both from Melbourne.

Bali shooting victim Zivan Radmanovic, from Melbourne, and wife Jazmyn Gourdeas.

According to witness Jazmyn Gourdeas, Mr Radmanovic’s wife, she was woken by her husband’s screams. She said she remained in bed and was too afraid to move and when she peeked from under the cover she saw a man wearing a bright orange jacket and black helmet.

Shortly after, she heard gunshots targeting her husband, who was in the bathroom at the time. She could not determine the number of shots fired.

Moments later, she heard the second victim, Sanar, scream from the adjacent room, followed by more gunfire.

“The witness ran out of the room and screamed upon seeing SG (Sanar) covered in blood, then returned to the bathroom to check her husband’s pulse,” Bali police spokesman Ariasandy said over the weekend.

At that moment, Ms Gourdeas could not feel a pulse from her husband and after seeing the assailants flee the villa, Mrs Gourdeas attempted to help Mr Ghanim stop the bleeding, as he was found in a pool of blood.

Mr Radmanovic was taken to Sanglah General Hospital while Mr Ghanim was rushed to BIMC Hospital in Kuta and was later released Monday afternoon.

Dudut Rustiyadi, a forensic doctor at Sanglah Hospital, said that while he had yet to conduct a proper autopsy on Mr Radmanovic pending consent from his immediate family, a preliminary examination showed that the body had open wounds on the left chest, abdomen, back of the hand and buttocks. The victim also suffered blunt force trauma on the face, chin, left shoulder, back of the hand, thigh and leg.

“Among the open wounds, some were lacerated, and some were round-shaped, suspected to be gunshot wounds, but these have not been confirmed, as classic gunshot markers were not found,” he told reporters on Monday.

Commissioner Ariasandy said that based on witness testimonies, the perpetrators of the shooting are suspected to be Australian nationals.

“The suspects are believed to be two individuals, one male wearing a bright orange jacket and a black or dark helmet, riding an automatic motorbike, and speaking with a thick Australian accent,” he said.

The second suspect was also described as a male, seen wearing a green jacket, a dark-coloured mask, and a dark helmet, also riding an automatic motorbike and speaking with a strong Australian accent.

This account is supported by statements from two Balinese witnesses who left their rooms in the complex and saw the assailants, describing one of the men as wearing a green rideshare-style jacket, a dark helmet, a face covering and speaking in a distinctly Australian accent.

At one point, a witness heard one of the suspects say, “I can’t start my bike.” Once the bike started, both suspects fled westward.

Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya said his agency was co-ordinating with immigration, the Australian police, forensic labs, and other stakeholders to uncover the case.

He said the investigation is transnational in nature due to the involvement of foreign nationals. “Because this involves foreign nationals,” he added.