About twenty people were inside a Hobart cocktail bar when two men approached a locked steel door and fired shots at the business overnight.
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The men are still at large.
Tasmania Police Inspector Adrian Bodnar say a “high-powered rifle” was shot “in-excess of 10 rounds” at Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams.
The steel door was locked from the inside, as the bar had recently closed and was not allowing anymore patrons in.
“After firing shots the men have fled the scene on foot through Harrington Lane, heading north on Harrington Street and east along Bathurst Street,” he said.
A firearm and ammunition was located nearby by Tasmania Police.
“Police are following several particular lines of enquiry and investigations suggest the incident was a targeted attack directed at the bar,” Inspector Bodnar said.
“This had the potential to be a really nasty incident.”
At about 12.30pm on Sunday, no one had been taken into custody.
Police are seeking two men, one aged about 40, red facial hair, six-foot in height, muscly and wearing a long-sleeve black top, black tradies trousers and black boots.
The second man is unable to be described due to some “discrepancies”, Tasmania Police said during a press conference.
About 20 witness statements have been obtained by Tasmania Police, but they are appealing for more witnesses and dash cam footage, especially belonging to Uber drivers.
The rifle used has been seized and is subject to the investigation.
Police were unable to say if the weapon used was legal in Tasmania.
It is unknown if both men had fired the gun, or just one.
Closed-circuit television footage has been obtained by police from nearby areas.
No body was injured during the incident.
The incident occurred about midnight.
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
