20 Injured in Random Shooting Incident on Sydney Street: Gunman in Custody

No charges have been filed yet against the alleged gunman.

Sydney:

A man is currently in custody after allegedly firing approximately one hundred bullets into a busy Sydney street, injuring twenty people. Police confirmed on Monday that the incident has no connections to terrorism or gang-related activity.

Authorities responded Sunday evening to reports of gunfire in the city's Inner West, where the suspect was randomly shooting at passing vehicles and police officers.

Joe Azar, an office worker, reported that he was working across the street when he heard what he initially mistook for fireworks or rocks hitting windows.

"Someone's windshield suddenly exploded, then the bus stop glass shattered," Azar told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"That surreal feeling set in like, 'Oh, this is actually happening'," he recalled.

"It was chaotic. Everything happened so quickly that I couldn't process what was occurring," he added.

New South Wales Police Acting Superintendent Stephen Parry stated that "between 50 and 100 shots" were fired during the incident.

A substantial police force quickly secured the area and locked down the street before entering premises above a business and apprehending a 60-year-old man. Two rifles were seized from the location.

The accused shooter was transported to hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during his arrest.

Charges against the alleged gunman are pending.

One man independently arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound following the incident and is in "serious" condition, according to police reports.

An additional 19 individuals received treatment for injuries from shrapnel or shattered glass, with several requiring hospitalization.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon described the shooting on Monday as "serious and terrifying".

The gunman's motivation remains unclear, but there are "no known connections to terrorist activity or any gang activity," he informed local radio station 2GB.

A witness identifying himself as Tadgh told the national broadcaster ABC that he had been watching rugby when he first heard the gunshots.

"It was extremely loud with 'bang, bang, bang' and flash-bangs and sparks and smoke and everything. It really seemed like something from a movie," he stated.

Police investigation into the incident continues.

Mass shootings are comparatively uncommon in Australia.

A prohibition on automatic and semi-automatic weapons has been enforced since 1996, following an incident where a lone gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania.

In August, alleged gunman Dezi Freeman evaded authorities in bushland after being accused of killing two police officers. He remains unapprehended.

In 2022, six individuals, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting near the small Queensland town of Wieambilla.

(This report has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)