The Fathers' Day Massacre

1984 Australia: 'The Fathers' Day Massacre' - two rival motorcycle gangs, the Comancheros and the Bandidos, engaged in a gunfight at Milperra, a western suburb of Sydney, in which seven people were killed and more than 20 wounded.

The shooting began in the car park of Milperra's hotel, the Viking Tavern, where the club members had organized a party to celebrate Fathers' Day. Before long, the bikies were attacking each other with guns, knives and baseball bats. A young girl selling raffle tickets outside the pub was among those killed.

In August, 1983, the Bandidos formed when a rift occurred in the Comancheros MC; a similar split had occurred in Texas, also followed by a bloody shootout. The court case following the massacre was at the time one of the largest in Australian history. Forty-three people were charged with seven counts of murder ...

Categories: australia, crime