At 8.15 this morning, the height of rush hour, Melbourne's city centre was brought to a halt by gunfire.
Two men who ran to help a woman from being bashed were shot when the attacker opened fire."He went over the post, grabbed her up by the hair," one witness said.
One man, a good samaritan who tried to help the woman from being bashed, was shot and left to die.
The woman and other man were rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Most nearby had run for cover while others in nearby office buildings were forced to stay inside.
The gunman fled, discarding the semi-automatic pistol at a nearby building site.
The woman worked at a nightclub where an hour earlier the gunman had been.
He allegedly bashed one of the strippers.
The incident has led to renewed calls for tighter gun laws.
"I'm always ready to talk to the state premiers who have immediate control over these matters about whether they can and ought to be further strengthened," Prime Minister John Howard said.
Police said they know who the killer is and are confident they will find him quickly.
Detective Inspector Stephen Clark from Victoria Police said it was unclear what sparked the dispute.
"We've located a firearm, a handgun, in the near vicinity," he said.
"Whilst we can't confirm it was the same firearm used in the shooting, it's the same calibre."
-- adapted Yahoo7
