Cross fistfights and firearms
ANOTHER Sydney man has been shot, as more details emerge of how a brawl at McDonalds involving Mark Gasnier sparked a terrifying Kings Cross shooting.
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AN ATTEMPTED get-square with a man who punched St George Illawarra's Mark Gasnier led to NRL star Jarryd Hayne and two Parramatta team-mates being shot at in Kings Cross early yesterday.
A source close to the players last night told how Hayne and fellow Eels Weller Hauraki and Junior Paulo confronted a man outside McDonald's on Darlinghurst Rd just before 4am.
"The players were all at a bar together when this bloke had a go at Gasnier," the source said.
"He threw a punch and Gasnier took off in a taxi. The Parra players went out for a feed at Macca's later on and recognised the same guy that had a go at Gaz."
The man retreated when approached by the imposing trio of footballers, but returned just 20 minutes later with deadly force in mind.
As Hayne, Hauraki and Paulo were attempting to catch a cab on nearby Ward Ave, the man stepped from a car and fired a single shot in their direction.
The incident came after a long drinking session that involved up to eight other NRL players - including Rooster Willie Mason.
Gasnier and the three Eels were the last to leave, with the Dragons skipper and Hayne denied entry to the Vegas Hotel on Darlinghurst Rd about 3.30am.
It is believed the original altercation between Gasnier and the suspected gunman occurred around the time the pair was refused entry for being intoxicated.
A Vegas Hotel staffer confirmed police were viewing its CCTV footage of the footballers.
Gasnier left in a cab immediately after almost coming to blows, but the Eels remained in the Cross.
Gallery: Scenes from the drive-by shooting
Police said a man of Pacific Islander appearance was responsible for the shooting.
He fled in a car, which detectives still believe could have been a taxi. They appealed for a cab driver seen in the area to come forward with information.
Fearing for their lives after being shot at, the three players hid in a nearby car park for 20 minutes before calling police.
Hauraki and Paulo returned to Kings Cross at 1pm yesterday, followed by Hayne an hour later, to give statements to police.
Detectives interviewed them for nearly three hours.
The incident came after a number of Parramatta players attended the first one-day cricket final between Australia and India at the SCG on Sunday.
After drinking at Double Bay's Golden Sheaf, the younger Eels then headed to Kings Cross where they met with Mason and Gasnier.
Last night, Eels chief executive Denis Fitzgerald said he was considering a curfew for players and a ban from notorious drinking spots in the wake of the shooting drama.
NRL chief executive David Gallop was made aware of the incident at Sydney airport after returning from the UK but said: "I've got nothing to say, I'll comment tomorrow."
A MAN was found shot in a park in Sydney's southwest last night - the third shooting incident in just 24 hours.
Police said the man was shot in the leg at Rudd Park in Belfield about 11pm. The gunmen, of Middle Eastern appearance, were believed to have escaped in two cars.
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