One person died and two were injured after a gunman opened fire on a busy street in the centre of Melbourne in Australia at the height of rush hour.
A man was killed and another injured after they came to the aid of a woman struggling with a gunman in Australia's second-largest city, police say.
The two who were hurt reportedly both suffered chest wounds and were taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The injured man and the woman were said to be in a critical condition, after being shot during the morning rush hour in Melbourne's business district.
The gunman escaped on foot and is now being sought by police.
The area was cordoned off, with police evacuating office buildings as a hunt for the gunman got under way.
Parts of the city centre were closed, with people being warned to stay indoors as armed officers, backed by helicopters, search the area.
Police said they had identified the suspect they were looking for.
A weapon was recovered from the scene, but police fear the man might still be armed.
He let go of her hair, pulled out a gun and shot them all Witness Ross Murchie
The incident on the corner of Flinders and William Streets happened during the morning rush hour, sending hundreds of commuters fleeing for cover.
They described him as a Caucasian male in his late 20s or early 30s, who was known to them.
He let go of her hair, pulled out a gun and shot them all Witness Ross Murchie Police believe that one of the injured victims, a woman, knew the assailant.
A handgun and denim jacket believed to belong to the gunman were recovered from a construction site, but police warned that he could still be armed.
"There is no suggestion this is a random act - it appears there was a relation with the gunman and the victims, so we are asking people not to panic," Victoria Police Inspector Glen Weir said.
"There are numerous police attending the search within the vicinity of the incident and there's a large cordon and containment operation under way as we speak," Inspector Weir added.
Businesses closed
Businesses closed
"A girl came out of a building over the road, she was screaming and a guy had her by the hair," witness Ross Murchie told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The incident on the corner of Flinders and William streets happened as people were arriving for work, and sent hundreds of commuters fleeing for cover.
Workers have been warned to stay inside offices and shops"She tried to grab hold of a taxi that was going by and the couple of bystanders went over to ask what was happening," Mr Murchie said.
"A girl came out of a building over the road - she was screaming and a guy had her by the hair," witness Ross Murchie told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Melbourne's commercial heart shut down as the hunt got under way
"She tried to grab hold of a taxi that was going by, and the couple of bystanders went over to ask what was happening," Mr Murchie said.
"He let go of her hair, pulled out a gun and shot them all."
"He let go of her hair, pulled out a gun and shot them all."
The other person who was injured and the one who died were both reported as male.
Police said the two men who were shot appeared to have been "good Samaritans", coming to the woman's aid.
The incident forced the closure of a number of streets in the commercial heart of what is Australia's second-largest city, with shops and offices shut as armed police and helicopters hunt for the gunman.
"That's certainly one of the avenues of inquiry that we're undertaking, and that looks more likely as time goes on," Victoria Police Inspector Glen Weir said.
"No-one is allowed out of the building - we have to close down everything, customers are inside, we have to remain inside," shop owner Hened Mouawad told AFP.
The man who died was reported to be a 43-year-old solicitor.
Insp Weir said it seemed like the gunman knew the 24-year-old woman he shot. Some witnesses saw them having a fight in a nearby nightclub shortly before the incident, he said.
"It certainly appears as though there was some verbal confrontation prior to the shooting between the male and the female, so it appears as though there was some relationship," he told reporters.
The incident forced the closure of a number of streets in the commercial heart of Melbourne, with shops and offices shut as armed police and helicopters began the hunt for the gunman.
Police began escorting workers back to their offices after a couple of hours.
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