STANDOVER MAN KILLED
TWEED SHOOTING VICTIM A KNOWN DEBT ENFORCER
THE heavily tattooed man shot in a Tweed Heads industrial area was well known in criminal circles as a debt enforcer.
Ace John Anthony Hall, 31, was on Saturday shot once in the stomach and taken to Tweed Hospital about 4.30pm in a car by his girlfriend and another man. He died during surgery. The third occupant of the car fled the scene.
Mr Hall is believed to have been shot at close range on the street outside a warehouse at South Tweed. It is understood the person who shot him thought they were going to be shot themselves.
Sources said Mr Hall was “not a good guy” and known in the drug scene as an “enforcer”.
Police yesterday confirmed Mr Hall had previously come into contact with police, with Tweed Heads Local Area Commander Detective Superintendent Wayne Starling describing him as “not a general member of the public we serve on a daily basis”.
Although heavily tattooed with the word loyalty on the side of his face and the number 13 on his chin, police said Mr Hall was not a member of a bikie group. He is believed to be an associate of a club.
Police also denied the shooting was a revenge killing for a brawl between the Lone Wolf and Bandidos outside Seagulls Leagues Club, Tweed Heads, on Wednesday.
“At this stage there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest this is a retaliation by any bikie group,” Detective Superintendent Starling said.
However, he said police, including NSW homicide detectives who flew from Sydney yesterday, would not “rule out” any lines of investigation.
Police sources said the Lone Wolf and Bandidos clubs traditionally kept on good terms. “Some clubs are friendly with others so they
have back up when having wars with other clubs. Those two clubs have been friendly for years,” the source said.
Mr Hall was believed to have lived at the Tweed, Gold Coast and other locations in Australia. His Facebook profile shows a heavy-set man posing for photographs wearing sunglasses. Mr Hall also posted several photographs of young children on his profile, but it is unclear whether he is their father.
There are several other comments from a woman who appears to be Mr Hall’s exgirlfriend claiming he assaulted her.
“I got better taste then (sic) women bashers that beat me up while I was 8 months pregnant,” the woman wrote.
Mr Hall’s name has been published on the South Australian Government’s Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit’s public list of the names of people with overdue fines.
The website states Mr Hall owed $19,142.30 in unpaid fines at the time of his death.
NSW homicide detectives yesterday scoured a crime scene at an industrial premises on Machinery Drive looking for bullet casings.
Armed tactical police stood on fences as detectives stormed the shed located behind a garage door shopfront.
Real estate agents described the address as “completely commercial”, with a butcher and a laundry located alongside the crime scene.
Forensic teams took several photographs of churnedup grassed areas on the median strip and dark areas, believed to be blood, on the road outside the warehouse.
A white Holden Astra without licence plates was towed.
Detectives on scene said the 17 Machinery Dr address was not a bikie clubhouse.
Detective Superintendent Starling said the Tweed Heads community “have nothing to fear”, saying the shooting was an isolated incident.
AT THIS STAGE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER TO SUGGEST THIS IS A RETALIATION BY ANY BIKIE GROUP DETECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT WAYNE STARLING