Sister's fury at 'putrid' witnesses who ran after Gold Coast woman's fatal shooting
The younger sister of a 27-year-old woman who was left to die after being shot at Gold Coast home earlier this week took to Facebook to unleash on the friends who fled the scene, leaving her to die.
Ivona Jovanovic was shot in a Highland Park home on Sunday when she was reportedly preparing to go out with friends.
Police arrived on the scene at about 8:30pm. Ms Jovanovic was rushed to hospital but died a short time later.
Detective Acting Superintendent Brendan Smith confirmed earlier this week that a group of about five individuals with Ms Jovanovic at the time had fled the scene.
They allegedly hid in nearby bushes until hours after the shooting.
Two days after the woman’s death, the sister of the deceased, Annette Jovanovic, took to social media scolding those who abandoned her.
“Can the putrid weak maggot dogs stop hiding in the bushes like a bunch of gronks and either go hand themselves in or f**king get some dash and own up to it and tell Ivona’s family, friends and loved ones if you so afraid of the police,” she wrote on Tuesday afternoon.
Police labelled the actions of those who were with the 27-year-old woman as “disgraceful”.
“I’m sure if one of them had been injured they would expect as much assistance from everyone there. Whilst they did call the ambulance there was a lot of first aid that could’ve been rendered at the time that may or may not have made a difference,” Supt Smith said.
“We’ll never know.”
On Tuesday, police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that a 27-year-old man was taken into custody when he returned home about 1am on Monday.
That man was Christos Panagakos who has ties to the infamous Barbaro crime family.
He was questioned by police but has not been charged with any offences.
Police are still investigating the circumstances around the shooting, and have not yet ruled out the incident as being an accident.
The family of a victim set up a GoFundMe page which has since surpassed its $25,000 goal.
“I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed and donated towards Ivona Jovanovic funeral ... I know my gorgeous beautiful big sister would be so thankful,” Annette Jovanovic wrote on Facebook.
In a separate post, she shared a photo of her and her sister, referring to her as “my best mate”.
“I know you'll be looking out for me up in heaven,” she said.
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