Hunt for Newnham shooter continues as victim undergoes surgery

The 29-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his chest is undergoing surgery after calling a taxi to a public parkland on the corner of Wallace Street and Bishops Drive about 6.50am Monday.

Detective Inspector Craig Fox said, from his understanding, the victim is "not out of the woods" with a bullet still in his chest.

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"This could potentially turn into an attempted murder or murder investigation," he said.

Detective Inspector Fox said the victim had not been cooperative, which has made the "job harder, but (they) are open to the challenge". Police have closed off areas of Newnham where officers have been searching for the weapon and doorknocking for witnesses.

"Whenever we have an investigation like this, regardless of if the victim is cooperative, we still treat it very seriously," he said.

"We want to charge people committing firearm crime and we want to seize as many guns as we can. We have had assistance from the public for a long time and we ask that assistance continue."

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Early investigations have revealed neighbours heard two male voices arguing around the time of the incident, however the offender and crime scene were still unknown. Detective Inspector Fox said the firearms dog -trained in sniffing out firearms and ammunition - was being used.

"(There's) at least one male suspect, but we haven't ruled out the fact that there are potentially multiple," he said.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to contact CrimeStoppers.

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