source : the age
By Riley Walter
A witness ran for his life when an unknown gunman opened fire on a group of teenagers fighting in the car park of a popular Newcastle beach, killing an 18-year-old man in a “senseless” shooting.
The teenager was part of a group who had been involved in a brawl in the Bar Beach car park about 11.40pm on Wednesday when a white SUV pulled up and a man, who is on the run, stepped out and shot him. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the teenager, who is yet to be formally identified, but he died at the scene.
Nick Brown said he and his friends had an altercation with the victim, who had been harassing them in the car park. He said punches were thrown but the group had “cuddled” and shaken hands after the fight.
Brown said a man who had been watching from the white car then approached the group in his vehicle, got out and opened fire with a large rifle-style gun after a verbal altercation.
“I didn’t know they were just going to jump out with big weapons like that and shoot the poor guy,” the Newcastle local told Nine News.
Witness Nick Brown.Credit: Nine
After shooting the 18-year-old, the gunman allegedly told another man with him to “kill these dogs”. A third man remained in the car, he said.
“I just ran for my life,” Brown said.
“I ran really fast, and I jumped on the grass, and I was rolling down.
“I’ve never run that fast … I just kept running. I was going to get shot as well.”
About 20 minutes after the shooting, emergency services found the SUV involved in the shooting, believed to be stolen, on fire on Croudace Road, Tingira Heights, around 13 kilometres south of the car park.
A crime scene has been established in the car park and on the road where the burnt-out SUV was found, with local police and homicide squad detectives investigating the shooting.
NSW Police Acting Superintendent Steve Benson said the shooting was not believed to be linked to the earlier altercation, which he said involved several people from two groups, but it was not clear if the shooting was targeted or a random attack. The fight was not believed to have been organised, he said.
“It’s a senseless incident,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“This is an incident that the community won’t stand for and I can assure the community of Newcastle that there are a large number of resources allocated to this investigation to both identify and bring the offenders to justice.”
Brown said the gunshot he heard was loud enough to be heard “from miles away” and that the shooter and victim did not appear to know each other. The calibre of the weapon used in the shooting is not clear.
The scene at Bar Beach carpark on Thursday morning.Credit: Nine via WIN
He said he tried to render first aid, but the 18-year-old was already dead.
“I just came back to just see if I could do anything,” he said.
“It’s just that we talked to the guy, and after that, seeing him dead on the floor for ages is just really sad.”
Brown, who said he hadn’t slept since last night, described the incident as “horrific to watch”.
Locals passing the crime scene on Thursday morning said they were “shocked” at the shooting.
“Never seen anything like this before,” one woman told Today. “It’s crazy.”
“I’m just absolutely amazed that this thing could happen in Newcastle,” another woman said. “It’s just unbelievable.”
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said her thoughts were with the victim’s family and friends, and the broader Newcastle community.
“This sort of death of a young person is something that we don’t want to see on our streets,” she said.
Police are urging anyone with information, or CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
