A gunman remained at large on Wednesday night, after another man was flown to hospital with extensive injuries from being shot in the face in Woonona.
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Emergency services were called to Mountain Avenue about 2.30pm on Wednesday after the injured 29-year-old man phoned for help.
NSW Ambulance paramedics worked on the man at “Ball’s Paddock”, at the end of Luxor Road, before he was flown by helicopter to Sydney for surgery.
Police said his injuries were not thought to be life threatening.
They believe the man was shot at Joanne Street before getting into his car and driving to a house on Mountain Avenue, where he raised the alarm.
On Wednesday afternoon, police had closed off parts of Mountain Road, taking a white Volkswagon away for forensic investigations.
They were also checking drivers’ licences at the intersection of Stephen, Joseph and Joanne streets.
Residents, who were arriving home to the large police operation after school and work, said they were told to “go inside and stay at home”.
Residents of Joanne Street were still locked out of their street at 7pm on Wednesday.
However, Wollongong Acting Superintendent Mark Wall said there were no concerns for the safety of the general public.
He also said the police investigation was “only in its infancy” but believed the shooting was “a targeted offence”.
Asked if the incident was related to bikie gangs or drugs, Superintendent Wall said police were “working to determine what the links are between the offender and the victims”.
“We haven’t made any arrests and we have a team of detectives that are working to locate an offender,” he said.
“Any gun crime is very serious and something we are working to stamp out in the community.”
Asked if there were any links between the shooting and a series of arrests related to gun supply in the Illawarra in recent days, Superintendent Wall said it was “too early to comment”.
Police revealed on Wednesday that a fourth man had been charged as part of a large investigation into the supply of firearms in the Illawarra.
Three men were charged by strike force detectives last Thursday and are currently before the courts, while on Tuesday a 55-year-old man was arrested in Bligh Street, Wollongong.