Brendan Crisp was shot in the right shoulder and left side of his chest, on the corner of Shepherd and Una streets in Bowral, in the early hours of the morning.

Officers said Mr Crisp was shot after he had made threats against them but would not confirm reports that he had told them he had a gun in his backpack.

Police had been negotiating with the man at the time of the shooting. Paramedics were called at 6.50am.

The officer who shot him was a senior constable attached to the traffic highway patrol command, police said.

A resident said she had heard shouts and then a gunshot, then saw police swarm around a man on the ground. Another resident said: ''I heard the shots but I thought it was just someone having a go at some cockatoos with a cork gun.''

Mr Crisp was taken to Wilton parachute base and flown to Liverpool Hospital by helicopter. He was in a critical but stable condition last night.

The homicide squad and the police Professional Standards Command have begun investigating the shooting.

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