Brothers accused of Collie shooting to remain behind bars

Two brothers accused of shooting a man in Collie during an alleged ongoing dispute will remain behind bars after their second court appearance. Joseph James Horohau Coombe, 34, and his brother Alex Ezekiel Coombe, 21, were again remanded in custody on Thursday during their Bunbury Magistrates Court hearing. They both face one count of striking a person with a projectile with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, stemming from a shooting which allegedly occurred on July 14 in Collie. The brothers have not entered pleas to the charge. The court is yet to consider Alex Coombe’s home detention bail application, with the process waiting on confirmation a proposed sponsor is able to facilitate home detention. He is expected to next appear on August 29, while Joseph Coombe — whose bail was refused during their first appearance in July — will next attend court on October 24. Thursday was the second time the siblings fronted court. The alleged shooting occurred after a dispute allegedly escalated into a barrage of text messages directed at the complainant and a series of drives past the man’s home. After about 12 hours of the ordeal, police say the complainant was preparing to confront the accused men. He was shot in the hands and was later treated in hospital with nine shotgun pellets lodged in his hands. Five days later, on July 19, magistrate Joanne Andretich remanded them in custody saying the offending was “prolonged and persistent” and “too serious” for their immediate release into the community with a gun “still at large”.