Shooter on the run after victim suffers injuries to head, shoulder

A man shot with a homemade gun on the Gold Coast reportedly found the attacker under his home after hearing strange noises.

Police were called to the property at Tallebudgera Creek Road in Tallebudgera on Thursday after reports of gunshots.

The 59-year-old victim suffered injuries to his shoulder and head, which were believed not to be life-threatening, after confronting the intruder.

The man police want to speak to after the shooting in Tallebudgera yesterday. Credit: Queensland Police

Police believe the man knew his attacker, but did not recognise him immediately due to his dishevelled appearance.

A homemade gun has since been found, but the alleged attacker fled on foot and has not been seen since.

Police are scouring the area, screening cars, and using a helicopter in their search for the man.

Detective Inspector Mark Mooney told reporters on Friday the attacker was known to the victim and may have been living nearby in a tent.

“He could be bunkered down in someone’s shed, hiding under someone’s house. He could be sleeping under a tree. We just don’t know,” he said.

“He could have fled the area and might be interstate now.

“It was a homemade shotgun … they’re exactly the same as a normal gun.

“They have the same firing mechanism. And once the shotgun shell goes off, it has the same result.”

Police have released a photo of a man they say investigators would like to speak to.

But Mooney said police believed his appearance had deteriorated in the years since the photo was taken. The man would now be in his 50s, with facial hair and yellow teeth.

He was reportedly wearing work shorts, a flannel shirt, a dark-coloured slouch hat and tan work boots.

“He could still be armed,” Mooney said. “Obviously he has the capability of making these sorts of guns.”

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