A man found on the streets of Bondi with a gunshot wound to his shoulder is reportedly a Brothers 4 Life kingpin who has previously been linked to three killings.
The 31-year-old is also believed to have been on a luxury cruiser at Rose Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs on New Year's Day when it was shot at from the shore, police say.
Peppered with bullets, the boat left the wharf but was stopped by police a short time later and towed to Balmain.
Less than two hours after the shooting, a 31-year-old was discovered at Lamrock Avenue opposite Bondi Beach with a gunshot wound to his shoulder.
AAP understands the man is linked to the Brothers 4 Life street gang.
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He has been identified in media reports as the leader of one of the gang's factions.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was last year set to face trial over a body found in a suburban backyard but the charges were reportedly dropped.
Five years ago, a NSW Supreme Court jury acquitted him of murdering a high school friend and another man in Sydney's west.
He admitted shooting the two men dead in 2006 but was found not guilty of murder after his lawyer argued he acted in self-defence.
Following this week's shooting, a witness said he spoke to the injured man before police arrived.
"We just walked past and this guy's just said, 'Man, I've been shot in the back,' and these coppers just showed up and they've taken over the scene," the passer-by told Fairfax Media.
Emergency services took the man to St Vincent's Hospital, police say, and he has since discharged himself.
It is understood he is not co-operating with police.
Residents of Sydney's west and southwest witnessed gang violence this year as feuds between Brothers 4 Life members erupted in shootings.
The group was founded by Bassam Hamzy, who was jailed in 1998 for the murder of Kris Toumazis outside the Mr Goodbar nightclub in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst.
He has had his jail time increased after orchestrating kidnappings and assaults and running a drug ring from within prison.
A man believed to be his cousin was shot dead in Revesby last year and another man, Omar Ajaj, suffered multiple bullet wounds in the attack.
