An amateur rugby league player shot multiple times at close range after training on Tuesday night was known to police, Sydney detectives say.
The 27-year-old man had just come off Mascot Oval and was getting changed in the car park when a white BMW pulled alongside and a gunman fired four nine millimetre bullets, hitting his left upper thigh and right forefinger.
Stunned A-grade teammates could only watch as paramedics and police rushed to the scene, taking the man to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Randwick, where he'll have surgery later on Wednesday before being interviewed by detectives.
Detective Inspector Gary Ballard said the victim was known to police.
However, he declined to say why he was known to officers.
The motive remains unclear but one line of inquiry will be to see if drugs were involved.
"We are waiting for surgery and once that's completed we'll speak to the victim and try to see if there's any motive," Det Insp Ballard said.
"He is known to police."
Officers believe there were two people inside the BMW, which sped away from the scene southbound on O'Riordan Street.
All the victim's teammates at the oval on Tuesday have given statements to police but detectives say there is no link between the sports club and the shooting.
Detective Inspector Ballard said it was lucky nobody else was hurt.
"There were a number of people on the oval so yes, those bullets could have hit anybody else," he added.
"It could be luck that the victim is still alive today. I don't know how good a shot the offenders are but it could be a warning, we're not sure."
State Crime Command detectives will take over the investigation and the incident will become part of Operation Apollo, the wide-ranging investigation into recent shootings in Sydney's public places.
Data compiled by the NSW opposition show there have been at least 40 shootings in Sydney so far this year, including four fatalities.
There have been at least 222 shootings since March 2011, NSW Labor says, with the majority occurring in the city's west and southwest.
