Man in critical condition following shooting in Australia

Sydney, Aug 10 (IANS) A man has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition following a shooting in eastern Australia, police in Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement on Sunday.

The emergency services were called to reports of a shooting at a home in the small town of Nana Glen, about 440 kilometres northeast of Sydney, around 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday.

Officers arrived and were told that a 22-year-old man was shot in the chest by a man known to him following an argument, Xinhua news agency reported.

The victim was treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics before being airlifted to the hospital, where he was in a critical but stable condition on Sunday morning after undergoing surgery.

About 30 minutes after the shooting, officers stopped an SUV in the nearby city of Coffs Harbour and arrested a 20-year-old man. A rifle was seized during a subsequent search of the vehicle.

The 20-year-old was taken to a local police station and charged with six offenses, including shooting with intent to murder as an act of domestic violence and possessing and using an unauthorised firearm.

NSW Police established a strike force to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

In a similar incident on July 31, a man was fatally shot in a suspected targeted attack in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in Australia's state of Victoria.

Police in the state of Victoria said that the 21-year-old male victim was approached and shot by an unknown man in a laneway behind a home in Wollert, about 24 km north of central Melbourne, shortly before 9 am local time.

Emergency services attended and attempted to revive the 21-year-old, but he was declared deceased at the scene. The offender fled the scene in a vehicle.

At this early stage in the investigation, detectives believe the shooting was a targeted attack.

No arrests have been made at this stage and a crime scene has been established.

--IANS

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