Paramedics have rushed a man to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot at the Abode Hotel in Belconnen, sparking a major police investigation that has left detectives chasing down several leads.
Emergency services raced to the building's underground car park about 9.30am on Wednesday in response to reports of gunfire.
They found the 56-year-old victim, who was subsequently loaded into an ambulance, with a single bullet wound to the leg.
Dozens of police personnel remained at the scene for hours after the incident, with those in uniform joined by heavily armed tactical officers, plain clothes detectives and sniffer dogs.
They conducted what was described as an extensive search of the area, but on Wednesday afternoon the hunt for the shooter remained ongoing.
Police were also yet to recover the gun used in the incident, and a spokesman was not willing to reveal what type of firearm it was suspected to have been.
In a statement, ACT Policing said detectives from its criminal investigations team were "following a number of lines of enquiry".
"Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to come forward," the force said.
"We'd especially like to speak with witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously in Chandler Street, Belconnen, before or soon after 9.30 [on Wednesday morning]."
ACT Policing had earlier sought to calm the public with a post on Facebook.
"Please be assured our officers are doing everything they can to resolve this incident," the post said.
"The community's safety is our number one priority."
Wednesday morning's shooting was the second such incident in Belconnen this year, following one in March that resulted in a man being charged with attempted murder.
The earlier episode took place in the suburb of Spence on March 11, when a group of people allegedly committed a violent home invasion.
Police allege Sugimatatihuna Mena shot a man in the stomach with a sawn-off rifle in that incident.
The 23-year-old Gungahlin man has been behind bars on remand since later that month, as have others charged with lesser offences like aggravated burglary.
There is no suggestion of a link between that alleged event and what happened on Wednesday morning.
The latest shooting comes at a particularly challenging time for the territory's police officers, who have been ramping up compliance checks since the ACT's current COVID-19 lockdown began last Thursday evening.
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Officers have already conducted several thousand in-person checks at homes, hotels and businesses across Canberra in a bid to help health authorities stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Anyone who can provide information on Wednesday's shooting has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the organisation's website.
Information can be given anonymously, quoting reference number P2008295.
