Man shot dead on street while attempting to rescue woman

POLICE in Melbourne have launched a massive manhunt after a man who tried to rescue a woman being dragged by her hair was shot dead yesterday.

Two other people were wounded when her attacker opened fire, authorities said.

The killer started shooting in the city’s central business district during morning rush hour.

Witnesses said the man, a 43-year-old lawyer, was one of two who rushed to help the woman when they saw a man dragging her out of a taxi.

‘‘She was screaming and a guy had her by the hair,’’ said Ross Murchie.

‘‘The couple of bystanders went over to ask what was happening. He let go of her hair, pulled out a gun and shot them.’’

Police praised the dead man, saying his last act was one of extreme bravery. ‘‘It’s a tragic, tragic set of circumstances and it does appear as though he’s been in the wrong place at the wrong time and has gone to the assistance of a female,’’ said Detective Inspector Stephen Clark.

Police said the killer had been involved in a violent scuffle at a nearby nightclub shortly before the shooting, which they believe stemmed from a domestic incident.

‘‘It does appear that there was a relationship between the female and the male suspect and certainly we’re not thinking it’s a random act, certainly not gang-related — it appears as though it’s a domestic-related incident,’’ said Inspector Glenn Weir.

The 24-year-old woman was fighting for her life in hospital last night while the second man who went to her aid was in a critical condition.

Witness Zali Nash said the gunman was ‘‘as cool as a cucumber’’ as he shot the victims.

‘‘He just went bang, bang, bang, there was no mucking around,’’ she said.

‘‘There were five shots fired and the people went straight down to the ground. There wasn’t even a scream, just a whimper.’’

One man who saw the incident from his office building said the killer left the scene unhindered: ‘‘He just walked off. ‘It was like you were on a movie set.’’

Police locked down the area and evacuated office buildings to track the killer.

They later found a handgun and a dark jacket at a construction site, which they said they were confident belonged to the killer.

Prime Minister John Howard declined to comment directly on the shooting but said he was willing to discuss a further tightening of gun control laws with state leaders, who have responsibility for policing them.

Justice Minister David Johnston said Australian firearms laws were already very tight and that it was likely the gun used in yesterday’s incident was obtained illegally.