A man shot in a “shockingly brazen” daylight attack inSydneywhich wounded two other people has had two previous attempts made on his life.
The actingNew South Walespolice commissioner, Peter Thurtell, said it was “beyond comprehension” three people could be gunned down in Sydney in daylight.
It was believed the three victims were wounded when two masked gunmen entered an Auburn kebab shop and fired eight shots early on Monday afternoon, he said.
A man, 26, was hit in the arm and shoulder, another yet-to-be-identified male was shot in the face and a 50-year-old woman, who was a shop employee, sustained two torso wounds, he said.
The victims are in hospital.
Thurtell said the gunmen tried to enter an office at the back of the shop before fleeing in a black BMW with cloned registration plates.
“It is beyond comprehension that three people were shot in a crowded Sydney street in broad daylight and the resources of the NSW police have already been deployed,” he said.
“One of the victims of the shooting, the 26-year-old male, we believe was the subject of two previous attempts on his life.”
The man had reported to police on bail an hour before the shooting.
“This is an emerging criminal investigation, we are throwing all our possible resources at it,” Thurtell said.
A crime scene has been set up and several roads are closed in the area.
The police minister, Yasmin Catley, said some of the best detectives in Australia would work the case as part of Taskforce Falcon. The taskforce was set up in May after nine shootings between warring criminal gangs since the start of summer.
About 100 detectives have joined another 50 officers in the taskforce.
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“My message to anyone out there going to be doing these place-based shootings on our streets – the police will get you and they will lock you up for a very long time,” Catley said.
She said her thoughts were with the people injured in Monday’s violence.
“It’s horrifying, it’s unacceptable and it shakes the sense of safety we all deserve.”
The premier, Chris Minns, described the shooting as “shockingly brazen”.
“People committing this kind of violence can expect to be arrested, charged, and to spend years inside small jail cells,” Minns said.