Detectives are appealing for dashcam footage and public information after a truck driver was robbed, assaulted and shot twice in the leg, near Lithgow earlier this week.
About 5am on Tuesday (29 September 2020), emergency services were called to the Great Western Highway at Mount Lambie, following reports a truck driver had been shot.
Police were told that the truck driver – a 42-year-old Western Australian man – had been sleeping in the vehicle, when a group of unknown men forced entry to the cabin.
The men assaulted the truck driver, dragged him from the vehicle and shot him twice in his right upper thigh and right foot.
The group then stole personal items from the truck, before fleeing the area in other vehicles.
The truck driver was treated at the scene by paramedics, before being taken to Lithgow Hospital. He was then airlifted to Westmead Hospital, where he underwent surgery and remains in a stable condition.
Officers from Chifley Police District attended and established crime scenes on the Great Western Highway at Mount Lambie and at the intersection of Wallerawang and Rydal Road.
A number of items were seized, including the vehicle, which was towed and will undergo further forensic examination.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Criminal Groups Squad have since taken carriage of the investigation under Strike Force Hathern.
Criminal Groups Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow, said police are seeking assistance from the community to identify those involved in the shooting.
“As investigations continue, police are appealing for anyone in the community that may have been travelling along the Great Western Highway between 8pm on Monday and 5am on Tuesday, to please come forward,” Det Supt Critchlow said.
“We are specifically seeking dashcam footage from any vehicles that were in the area at the time and may have vital information about those involved.
“The injuries this man sustained from the assault and the shooting were significant and given the location he was left in, he is lucky to be alive,” Det Supt Critchlow said.
Investigations are continuing.
Anyone with information about this incident, or who may have dashcam footage from the area, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.
