20 people were injured after a man fired up to 100 bullets on a busy street in Sydney’s Inner West on Sunday, reports CBS news.
A 60-year-old man was arrested following the shooting on Monday, with police describing it as “serious and terrifying.”
New South Wales police said they were called to the scene after reports of a man firing at passing cars and police. One man was seriously wounded with a gunshot and drove himself to the hospital. Another 19 people were treated for shrapnel or shattered glass injuries, with several hospitalised.
Acting NSW police superintendent Stephen Parry said the shooting lasted for almost 2 hours between 7:45 pm and 9:30 pm. A large police contingent locked down the street before entering a unit above a business and arresting the alleged gunman.
Two rifles were seized. The accused was also treated in hospital for injuries sustained during his arrest.
Eyewitness Joe Azar told the Sydney Morning Herald he initially thought the sounds were fireworks or rocks hitting windows. “Some guy’s windshield blew up, then the bus stop glass shattered,” he said.
Police confirmed there were no known links to terrorism or gang activity. An investigation is ongoing. Mass shootings are rare in Australia, where automatic and semi-automatic weapons have been banned since 1996 after a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania.
