Queen Street Massacre - Frank Vitkovic

Frank Vitkovic

Frank Vitkovic was born 7 September 1965 to a Croatian father, and an Italian mother. He grew up in the Melbourne suburb of West Preston. He attended Redden Catholic College (formerly Immaculate Heart College, Preston, later renamed Samaritan Catholic College) in Preston. He started a law degree at Melbourne University in 1984 but had voluntarily discontinued that course in early 1987.

A search of his room after the killings revealed that Vitkovic kept press clippings of the Clifton Hill massacre, with extracts underlined in red. Police believed he had always intended to shoot people in the Queen Street building. It was reported that Vitkovic had left a note at his home; police indicated that it was not a suicide note. Vitkovic had obtained a shooter's licence and had bought the gun a few weeks prior to the shooting. He had illegally modified the .30 M1 carbine, by reducing the barrels length. It was loaded with jacketed ammunition. In the note, addressed to his parents and dated the day of the massacre, Vitkovic said "Today is going to be the day. The anger in my head has got too much for me. I've got to get rid of my violent impulses. The time has come to die. There is no other way out." The note had not been read by his parents before it was discovered by police.

Vitkovic had obtained his shooting licence on 17 September 1987. When asked at that time why he wanted a licence, Vitkovic stated "I desire to go hunting". He purchased the rifle on lay-by, finally collecting it 21 October 1987. Prior to the shooting Vitkovic had removed the barrel and the handle of the weapon.

After the shooting, a neighbourhood friend of the family said that Frank Vitkovic was an excellent student, a good tennis player, friendly and helpful, over six feet tall and very good looking. He had been a promising tennis player, but this was cut short due to a knee injury. After the shooting, a rumour circulated that he had sought help from the Melbourne University counselling service on the day of the shooting. The head of law at the University, Susie Nixon, later told The Age that while Vitkovic had once sought counselling during his career with the law school, reports he had been at the university on the day of the shooting were "totally unfounded". He had not left his course with hostility and Nixon believed there was no direct link between the shooting and his "deferral" from his course. A former secretary of the club where Vitkovic played tennis said he often threw on-court tantrums and did not easily accept losses. He had won a singles championship in his first year at the club but left the next year after he lost the title.