The man shot dead in the carpark of a busy petrol station by a balaclava-clad gunman has been identified as Nidal Acherkouk and he was known to police.
The shooter remains on the run after police were called to Baptist Street in Surry Hills after locals reported hearing gunshots just before 8pm on Friday.
Officers found Acherkouk, aged in his 30s, near the carpark of a BP petrol station on the corner of Crown and Cleveland Street.
NSW Police said on Saturday that Acherkouk had links to underworld organisations in Sydney.
South Sydney Police Area Command Superintendent Andrew Garner said the attack was ‘targeted’.
‘We believe it was targeted, and that he was the intended target of that attack, and there’s no broader risk or threat to the public in relation to this,’ Supt Garner said.
Supt Garner said Acherkouk had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body.
‘He was alone in his vehicle in the service station,’ he told a press conference on Saturday morning.
‘After that he got out of the vehicle and went on foot down Cleveland Street where he has succumbed to his injuries.’
Supt Garner labelled the incident as ‘outrageous’ and said it demonstrated a lack of regard for public safety in a busy and crowded part of the city.
‘We’ll be working very hard to identify and arrest those involved and hold them to account,’ Supt Garner said.
Images from the scene showed blood stains on a part of the road near the service station.
Earlier, a blood-soaked white sheet was seen covering the man’s body as paramedics desperately worked to revive him.
A Porsche, believed to be the getaway car, was found on fire on Kensington Road, in Kensington, about an hour after the shooting.
Supt Garner said police are investigating the movements of the burnt out vehicle.
NSW Police said in a statement on Friday night that the shooting and the burnt out car are believed to be linked.
Swarms of emergency responders, including police and at least five emergency vehicles arrived at the scene.
Officers secured the intersection of Cleveland and Bourke Streets before a police operation commenced.
Several people, who were inside one store, were forced to duck for cover after they heard the sound of gunshots.
One local who was dining nearby told Daily Mail she heard three gunshots go off in the direction of the BP.
Witnesses had reported seeing the gunman jump from a car before the shooting, while another witness said they saw a ‘bloodied’ man after the incident.
Another man told the Daily Telegraph he heard ‘bang after bang’ and said ‘everyone just panicked’ as chaos ensued.
‘People [were] running and screaming everywhere. It was surreal. Terrifying,’ he said.
Some businesses were forced to shut their doors for the night, with the newspaper reporting that local grocery store Harris Farm told shoppers they had to leave.
Police later set up a crime scene and investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident has been urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.