By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Hampton Park tattoo parlour that was the scene of an alleged bikie-gang related shooting in February has moved out.
Nitro Ink, which was based at a shopping strip at Fordholm Road, has apparently changed its name to Redemption Tattoo Studio and moved to Somerville.
A message on Nitro Ink’s Facebook page on 28 March boasted of the “exciting news”.
“Facebook isn’t allowing us to re name the page so we will be starting from scratch.
“See you all real soon. I miss our loyal customers so much.”
The shop had been closed since a man was shot multiple times by two masked armed men in front of staff and customers in the early afternoon of 22 February.
During the ambush, bullets blasted through the studio’s back wall into the offices of an adjoining real estate agent and a law firm, narrowly missing workers.
The attack has been linked to the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang. The victim, named as a senior member of the gang, survived the ambush.
Neighbouring businesses are believed to have conjoined in a push to have Nitro Ink’s landlord to evict the tattoo studio.
A relieved neighbour, who didn’t wish to be named, said the parlour’s departure was a victory for “people and media power”.
Fourteen businesses jointly threatened to leave the shopping centre unless Nitro Ink was evicted, he said.
“We were handing our keys back to the landlord.
“If this place doesn’t go, we would have all moved out.”
Some traumatised staff from his business and other nearby enterprises had not returned to work since the incident, he said. Customers had also been reluctant to return.
There had however been no blow-back from Nitro Ink. “They’re nice people, they were just doing their jobs,” the neighbour said.
The two shooters were believed to have escaped in a car, which was torched in a nearby street.
Victoria Police’s anti-outlaw bikie gang Echo taskforce is still investigating the shooting.
