Man shot dead in ‘targeted attack’ in Sydney car park
Police are searching for a luxury car after a man was shot dead in Sydney’s south-west.
Emergency services were called to the car park of a community centre on Rossmore Avenue in Punchbowl about 5.50pm on Wednesday after reports of a shooting.
Emergency services found a man with critical injuries. 9News
They found a 32-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds and tried to save him before paramedics took over and declared him dead at the scene.
Acting Superintendent Dean Johnstone said the man was known to police but hadn’t been formally identified.
Sydney has been rocked by a string of public gang shootings, but the superintendent refused to speculate about whether the victim had any links to organised crime.
He refused to speculate on whether the victim, who was believed to be alone at the time, had links to organise crime or comment on the string of public shootings.
Johnstone said the shooting was a “callous act” that could easily have endangered other people.
“We believe this was a targeted attack, but we do not believe that other persons were at risk,” he said.
Acting Superintendent Dean Johnstone addresses the media after a shooting in Punchbowl. 9News
“However, obviously in a public place like this, those actions cannot be tolerated as it potentially endangered innocent members of the community.”
Johnstone said a silver Lexus sedan was seen leaving the area and appealed for anyone with CCTV or dash cam footage from the area to come forward.
“It is very early days in our investigation, but I can guarantee that NSW Police Force will investigate this matter thoroughly,” he said.
“We will identify the offenders and we will put them before the court.”
Witnesses say they heard two shots, and that a black car was seen fleeing the area.
It is not known if the shooting is related to another in the same suburb last week, where several shots were fired at a unit.
It is the latest in a number of recent shootings in Sydney as police fear the escalation of gangland violence.
Last week, two innocent people – 23-year-old student Marco Tapia and 40-year-old business owner Joshua Macdonald – were shot dead in Glen Alpin and Merrylands West.
The killings prompted a crackdown from the NSW government, which has proposed life sentences for those planning to commit gangland hits, and adult time for teenagers accused of taking part in gang crimes.
“This is immoral, evil behaviour, and we’re determined to stop it,” Premier Chris Minns said.
“We want to hit these criminal networks at every point – the people who organise the violence, the people who facilitate it online and the people who ultimately carry it out.
“If you conspire to arrange a gangland murder, you should face the prospect of spending the rest of your life behind bars.”
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