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Neighbours have told how they were woken by the sound of gunshots after a man was shot dead outside a home in Unanderra overnight.
Emergency services were called to the home on Carr Parade about 2.15am and found a man suffering a gunshot wound.
Police officers conducted CPR until NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived, but the man died at the scene.
Detective Chief Inspector Glen Broadhead said the victim, believed to be known to police, is from the northern suburbs of Wollongong.
The man is yet to be formally identified but he is believed to be aged in his 30s.
"We believe this is a targeted shooting and we do not believe the community at large are at risk," Inspector Broadhead said.
He said a number of people were present at the time of the shooting and police were currently interviewing witnesses.
Police are investigating whether a burnt out car, found at Cordeaux Heights shortly after the shooting, is linked with the Unanderra incident.
Police tape was placed around the car on Wednesday morning.
Phil Walker has lived in Carr Parade, just a few doors west of where a crime scene has been set up, for five years.
Mr Walker said he and his wife were woken by the sound of shots - and found an emergency situation unfolding almost on their doorstep.
"I came outside and saw the coppers doing CPR on the bloke, and then the ambos arrived," he said.
"It was obvious they couldn't rescue him because the ambos didn't move after arriving.
"It was behind the car. I could see them moving up and down [doing CPR] over the car but I couldn't actually see the body.
"I saw a woman, I'm guessing a family member; she had blood all over her shirt, so she must have found him in the first place."
Mr Walker said he didn't know the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"I don't know if he's just a random who was walking past and they just had a fight there or he actually lived here," he said.
A neighbour, who lives a little further west along the street, said she heard some commotion outside before shots rang out.
“There was a bit of a kerfuffle because our dogs were barking before the gunshots, so we were already awake and then we heard gunshots,” the neighbour, who chose to remain anonymous, said.
She described the area as a “relatively quiet neighbourhood”
Another neighbour, who only wanted to be known as Pete, said he was dozing when he heard a car engine idling in the street and then "four bangs".
"Bang, bang, bang, bang - and then ... the car went, that's all I heard," Pete said.
"Then half an hour later, 20 minutes later, there were police everywhere."
Pete said he hasn't been to bed since, with officers using torches to canvass the street.
Police have formed Strike Force Gangele to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
It comprises detectives from Lake Illawarra Local Area Command assisted by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
Police are speaking with a number of people, but are calling on anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
More to come