Balinese authorities investigating the shooting of two ns by a hit squad are facing a wall of silence as the survivor refuses to speak with police while the dead man’s family has delayed an autopsy.
Zivan ‘Stipe’ Radmanovic, 35, and Sanar Ghanim, 34, were shot just after midnight on Saturday at a villa in Munggu – in Badung Regency in Bali’s south – in an attack believed to be linked to Melbourne’s feuding Middle Eastern crime syndicates.
Radmanovic died at the scene after he was shot twice in the chest and once in the foot, while Ghanim was rushed to Kuta’s BIMC Hospital with gunshot wounds and cuts.
Ghanim is the former partner of slain Melbourne gangland boss Carl Williams’s stepdaughter Danielle Stephens and is not cooperating with investigators.
The manhunt for two masked gunmen – suspected of being n – continues as the investigation is further hampered by Radmanovic’s family not granting permission to conduct an autopsy.
On Tuesday, Bali police said they were still hoping to persuade Ghanim to break his silence, and he and Radmonovic’s family have been barred from leaving the island.
‘Naturally we are interested in obtaining information from this person as a witness,’ said Bali Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Ariasandy.
‘As long as we still require their statement, both the survivor and other witnesses remain under the investigators’ supervision. They are still here and questioning is ongoing.
‘They continue to be under our monitoring and our protection. Their so-operation remains important in this investigation.’
He said police had so far managed to take statements from seven people over the shooting.
‘That figure might increase as we get more information from other sources,’ he added.
Forensic doctor Dudut Rustyadi from Prof Ngoerah Hospital on Monday shared his team’s report on their initial examination of Radmanovic.
‘The external examination was carried out on Saturday morning at 6am, one hour after the body was received,’ Dr Rustyadi said.
‘The results of the external examination showed that the body was still in a fresh condition. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
‘We found several wounds of varying types, including open wounds and bruises.’
Dr Rustyadi conceded information surrounding the attack suggested Radmanovic ‘was a victim of a shooting’.
‘However, we have not yet been able to confirm whether these were indeed gunshot wounds, as several factors need to be considered, such as whether the bullet entered directly or was a ricochet,’ he said.
‘We can only confirm the presence of gunshot wounds after an autopsy is performed.
‘There are several round open wounds, suspected to be gunshot wounds, located on the chest, abdomen, arm, and buttocks.’
The forensic team also found evidence Radmanovic was beaten.
‘We also found open wounds caused by blunt force trauma on the face, chin, torso, and legs. Some abrasions and bruises were found on the victim’s body,’ Dr Rustyadi said.
On Sunday afternoon, Ghanim was released from hospital and was seen being pushed out in a wheelchair surrounded by several staff before he was helped into the back of a car, his leg heavily bandaged.
Ghanim and his partner were living in Bali for some time. Radmanovic and his wife, mum of six Jazmyn Gourdeas, are understood to have arrived with her family on Thursday to celebrate her 30th birthday.
Police found 17 bullet casings and 55 bullet fragments at the scene.
The killers – one was said by a witness to have had a ‘thick n accent’ – were last seen fleeing the villa on scooters.
There are concerns the gunmen could have gone to a nearby airport and flown out of the country as police were headed to the scene.
Bali Police said on Tuesday that they would call in Interpol if they had information the gunmen were now overseas.
‘If we find indications that a suspect is abroad, we will take appropriate steps,’ said Snr Commr Ariasandy.
‘Our investigators are in the midst of gathering information so we cannot provide specifics yet. We are united in resolving this case and bringing the offenders to justice.
‘At this moment we do not have a confirmed number of perpetrators. That will become clear as we analyse witness accounts and physical evidence including possible footage from CCTV cameras at the scene.
‘Currently we are estimating how many individuals may have been involved. Initial reports mention some people being seen but that still requires confirmation.’
Ghanim, who served time in prison after being linked to a 2015 shooting, had a daughter with Danielle Stephens, the stepdaughter of Underbelly drug kingpin Carl Williams.
Radmanovic was a career criminal with a lengthy list of 175 court appearances and his ruthless execution was witnessed by his wife as she hid behind the bedsheets.
Her sister, Daniella Gourdeas, is linked on social media to the assassinated Melbourne gangster Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim.
Ghanim is said to have been in the villa with his wife, identified only by local police as Daniella, when the gunmen struck.
The Gourdeas family link to Abdulrahim comes five months after the notorious gangster was also gunned down in an underworld hit in a hotel car park in Melbourne’s north.
Abdulrahim, a bikie-turned-boxer, had previously been the target of three murder contracts, a prison bashing, three assaults, a dozen fire bombings and seven shootings.
Radmanovic appeared to be a devoted dad who loved his mum, but a touching family picture of him in October 2020 revealed he was wearing an electronic ankle monitor on his left leg.
In Victoria, ankle monitors are most commonly worn by suspected major drug dealers who can afford the expensive self-funded devices worn while on bail.
Radmanovic shared a close bond with his stepchildren, particularly Ms Gourdeas’ daughter Olympia, now aged five.
He began dating Ms Gourdeas when Olympia was eight months old and described becoming a stepdad as the ‘biggest blessing’ in an emotional tribute for the youngster’s first birthday.
‘I can’t wait to watch you grow and become the amazing and gorgeous girl that I know you will become,’ Radmanovic wrote to his stepdaughter on Facebook.
‘You, your siblings and your mum Jazmyn Gourdeas are the biggest blessing in my life and I’m so grateful for you all coming into my life!! I love you Olympia and I hope you have a beautiful day princess!!’
Radmanovic’s social media is littered with family pictures of his wife, stepchildren, mother and grandmother.
On the night of the brutal shooting, The Bali Tribune reported Radmanovic’s wife was asleep when she heard her husband screaming at 12.15am.
Peeking out from behind a blanket, she saw a man wearing an orange jacket and a second man gunning down her husband in the toilet.
Images from the villa show a man, believed to be Radmanovic, lying motionless next to a toilet. Moments later, Ms Gourdeas heard more gunfire before Ghanim screamed.
It’s understood Ghanim suffered seven gunshot wounds in his bed before Ms Gourdeas tried to stop the bleeding as they waited for emergency services to arrive.
‘[She] ran out of the room and shouted when she saw Sanar was bleeding and went back to the toilet to check her husband’s condition by checking his pulse,’ an unnamed Bali Police officer told local media.
‘After seeing the perpetrator escape outside the villa, this witness helped the victim, Sanar, stop the bleeding.’
A fourth person in the villa – believed to be another family member – told police she saw a gunman in a green jacket wearing a mask and a helmet burst into their room.
She heard more gunshots and a window being smashed before the hit squad ran from room to room in the villa as she fled for her life.
‘The witness ran out of the villa before she saw two motorcycles [or scooters] parked outside while she heard more gunshots,’ added the police officer.
‘[She ran to] the main road where she asked for help.’
By the time bystanders had calmed the witness down and taken her back to the villa, police were already on the scene.
The gangland connection has fuelled speculation the shooting was a targeted attack.
Bali Police Chief Inspector Daniel Adityajaya said on Sunday they were liaising with n Federal Police on the investigation.
‘Our team is still working on it,’ he told Daily Mail .
‘We have coordinate with the Immigration, the n Federal Police, the forensic team, and many other institution to uncover this case.’
Badung Police chief Arif Batubara added: ‘We are currently still in the investigation phase.
‘The forensic lab team is also still conducting a comprehensive investigation in the field.
‘The investigation also involving Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (INAFIS team), mobile brigade (Brimob), the forensic lab, K9 unit (dog unit), and rapid response unit (Sabhara).
‘The National Police Headquarters (Mabes) is also assisting.
‘Several bullet holes were found at the scene.’