Man shot while checking on car at night in Launceston

A man has been shot after confronting two people near his car at night — the 11th gun-related incident in Launceston in the past seven weeks. 

Tasmania Police said in the early hours of Thursday a 52-year-old man walked out of his house to his parked car in the Launceston suburb of Invermay when he discovered two men near his vehicle. 

Police say he was shot after confronting them, suffering serious injuries. 

The man was taken to the Launceston General Hospital in a serious but stable condition. 

Police said they are searching for two men who were acting suspiciously on Mayne street in Invermay around 1:30am. 

One man is described as being 170 centimetres tall, of slender build, wearing a black hooded jumper and dark coloured track pants. 

The other man is about 175-centimetres tall, heavy set, wearing a large black jacket with a hood. 

11th incident in seven weeks

A string of shootings in the city has led to the creation of a new police task force cracking down on illegal firearms. 

The task force will involve detectives from Launceston’s criminal investigation branch and will focus solely on firearm-related crime

Police have confirmed the following firearms-related incidents have been reported over the past 7 weeks:

•  March 5: Firearm discharged in Hadspen — man charged
•  March 13: Firearm discharged in Scottsdale
•  March 30: Incident in New St, Invermay — man charged
•  April 1: A woman was injured after shots were fired into her vehicle in St Leonards
•  April 2: A homemade firearm was discharged during an altercation in Invermay — man charged
•  April 3: Shots were fired into a Balfour Street home 
•  April 3: Shots fired into three unoccupied vehicles in Young Town 
•  April 4: Firearm discharge in Rocherlea  — man charged
•  April 10: A single shot was fired in the air from a vehicle during a neighbourhood dispute in Mayfield
•  April 15: A single shot was fired into the air from a vehicle in Ravenswood
• April 22: A man was injured after shots were fired near his vehicle in Invermay

Anyone with information about illegal firearms is asked to contact police on 131444 or Crime Stoppers.