A SHOOTER remains at large following a residential disturbance in Mount Gambier on Wednesday night, which left a young man in hospital with a serious gunshot wound.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene on Ayers Street just before 10pm following reports a man had been shot in the chest.
Speaking exclusively to The Border Watch, an eyewitness said she found two men helping their 26-year-old friend who was lying in the gutter covered in blood a short time earlier.
“I could hear a disturbance and then heard wheels screech down the street, so I went outside to see what was going on,” the eyewitness said.
“I found three men in the gutter and one of them had a gunshot wound.”
The woman quickly called police, before attempting to calm the men down.
“His shirt was torn because they were trying to use it to stop the bleeding,” the eyewitness said.
“It was quite scary, he was trying to get up and walk around, but he could not breathe, so I told them to stop moving until emergency services arrived.”
Police and paramedics arrived on the scene a short time later and transported the man to hospital, where he remains in a serious, but stable condition.
“Our crews transported the patient urgently to the Mount Gambier Hospital with significant injuries,” Limestone Coast ambulance operations manager Andrew Thomas said.
Limestone Coast Police officer in charge Superintendent Grant Moyle said the matter was still under investigation.
“The victim is now conscious in hospital under police guard and we will speak to him about the matter,” Supt Moyle said.
Although the investigation is in its early stages, police believe both parties are known to each other and that it was not a random incident.
The scene of the crime and surrounding streets were cordoned off for most of the evening as police conducted searches of the area.
Detectives from the Limestone Coast Criminal Investigation Branch are investigating the matter, along with crime scene investigators and local police.
At this stage, no one has been arrested in relation to the incident.
The eyewitness said she was left in shock by the series of events.
“Even though it was at night, it was not that late and it has happened right near a school,” she said.
“It is not something you expect to happen in Mount Gambier and you do not wish for something like that to happen to anybody.”
Police are asking for anyone who has seen suspicious activity in the area to report details online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
