A man aged 60 was apprehended in Australia on Monday following an incident where he fired around 50 shots into a bustling Sydney street, resulting in over a dozen individuals sustaining injuries. The event unfolded in the city’s Inner West on Sunday evening, with the alleged shooter discharging bullets at random towards passing vehicles and law enforcement officials.
Law enforcement officers swiftly responded to the scene, cordoning off the area and eventually arresting the man who was shooting from his property situated above a business. A rifle was confiscated from the location during the arrest.
An office worker named Joe Azar recounted hearing what he initially thought were fireworks or objects hitting windows while he was working across the street. Witnessing a car windshield being shattered and the glass at a bus stop breaking, Azar described the surreal realization of the unfolding events and the ensuing chaos that left him struggling to grasp the situation.
Initially, reports indicated that up to a hundred bullets had been discharged, resulting in 20 individuals being injured. However, Acting Superintendent Stephen Parry from New South Wales Police later revised the figures to approximately 50 shots fired and 16 individuals wounded, emphasizing the rarity of such indiscriminate street attacks during his lengthy tenure in law enforcement.
Following his arrest, the accused gunman received medical treatment for minor eye area injuries sustained during the apprehension. As of now, no formal charges have been filed against him as the police continue their investigation.
While one individual with a gunshot wound sought medical attention independently and was expected to recover, others affected by the incident received treatment from paramedics for minor injuries, primarily caused by shattered glass from the bullets hitting their vehicle windows.
Describing the incident as “serious and terrifying,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon highlighted the gravity of the situation, mentioning that there were no apparent links to terrorism or gang-related activities regarding the assailant’s motive. Witness accounts painted a vivid picture of the chaotic scene, with one observer comparing the events to something out of a movie.
Australia, known for its stringent gun laws, has witnessed relatively infrequent mass shootings since the implementation of a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons in 1996 following a tragic incident in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Recent incidents involving alleged shooters have sparked concerns, such as the case of Dezi Freeman who remains at large after being accused of killing two police officers, and the 2022 shooting near Wieambilla where six individuals, including police officers, lost their lives.