Brisbane man rushed to hospital after drive-by shooting at Surfers Paradise

A Brisbane man has undergone surgery in hospital after he was shot in what police believe to be a “random” drive-by shooting on the Gold Coast on Saturday morning.

Police have shot a man dead in the Whitsundays. Picture: File

A Brisbane man was rushed to hospital after a drive-by shooting in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 20-year-old man was shot once with a shotgun from a vehicle as he walked with a group of people near the 50 Cavill Ave building.

He was taken by ambulance to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition but is now stable.

The scene of a drive-by shooting at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Greg Stolz

Police said investigations into the incident were ongoing.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that around 4.30am three men were walking along Ferny Ave when a firearm was discharged towards them from a passing vehicle,” they said.

“A 20-year-old Brisbane man sustained a non-life-threatening chest wound and was transported to hospital. No one else was injured.

The drive-by shooting happened near the 50 Cavill Ave building. Picture: Greg Stolz

“A crime scene has been declared and the Gold Coast Highway between Ferny Ave and Cavill Ave remains closed.

“Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or has relevant CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact them.”

The scene of a drive-by shooting at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Greg Stolz

Brisbane and Logan have been rocked by a spate of drive-by shootings in recent months in an explosion of gang violence.

It’s understood the victim is of Sudanese descent but police at this point do not believe the shooting was gang-related and was likely a random attack rather than targeted.

Despite initial reports of multiple bullets being fired from the vehicle, police say he was hit in the chest by a single round fired from a shotgun.

The vehicle used in the shooting was a Ford Ranger stolen from Caboolture on Friday.

It was found abandoned near Brisbane and was being examined by forensics investigators.

Detectives are examining CCTV footage for clues to the shooting and have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage.

In a separate incident, a man was shot dead by police overnight in the busy Airlie Beach nightlife precinct in the state’s north.

Originally published as Brisbane man rushed to hospital after drive-by shooting at Surfers Paradise