The eruption of violence last week between the Hells Angels and Comanchero bikie gangs had its origins in NSW but was inflamed by a recent leadership change in Victoria.
The promotion of Mick Murray in July to Victorian president of the Comancheros marked a sharp change in direction for the gang, which had previously refused to become embroiled in a long-running Sydney-based feud between the two gangs, which were involved in an infamous fatal brawl at Sydney Airport in 2009.
Ironically, Murray, who spent an extended period in Sydney before returning to Melbourne, became one of the first victims of his gang's increasingly bellicose stance, when his tattoo parlour and gym were sprayed with bullets last Monday morning. A day earlier, Williamstown chapter president Faafatia Faaloia was shot in the back.