MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A shooting outside a popular Melbourne nightclub in Australia early Sunday left one man dead and another critically wounded, police said.
Police are investigating and appealing for anyone with video footage or information to come forward. They believe several people were shot outside the two-story Love Machine club early Sunday but have made no arrests so far.
Four people were taken to a hospital, two of whom in critical condition. Police later confirmed that one man, 37 years old, had died.
They are investigating whether a black Porsche SUV seen leaving the area is related to the shooting. The car was later found burnt out.
Love Machine host Steve Yousif posted on Facebook: “Overwhelmed with all your calls and texts, nothing but love for you all.”
“What happened last night was uncalled for and devastating. For some of you it was a night out, the rest of the Love Machine family lost a beautiful soul today,” he wrote.
The Seven Network TV station said that a security guard at the club had no idea a shooting had happened and there was no panic inside the venue, which remained open following the shooting.
Gun violence is rare in Australia, which strengthened its gun laws following the murders of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996 in Tasmania. In New Zealand, an Australian white supremacist has been charged with murder over the March 15 mosque attacks that left 50 dead, leading that nation to ban a range of semi-automatic weapons.
