Hunt continues for man with shotgun who sparked lockdown in Sydney's inner west

Search continues for gunman who torched van, sparked lockdown in Sydney's Dulwich HillTopic:PolicePosted Sat 17 Oct 2026 at 9:33amSat 17 Oct 2026 at 9:33amNSW Police released a photo of a man as part of the investigation. (Supplied: NSW Police)In short:An armed man who sparked the locking down of an inner west neighbourhood on Friday remains at large.The man, described as being about 20, and 160cm tall with brown shaggy hair, has not been identified.What's next?Anyone with dash-cam, CCTV or mobile phone footage that may assist the search have been asked to share it with police.A man who threatened people with a shotgun in Sydney's inner west remains on the run.A large police operation was launched on Friday morning after the man set fire to a stolen van at a Dulwich Hill apartment block.Local public schools were placed in a lock out as part of the police response which included a three-hour exclusion zone being in place for several streets around Williams Parade.Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said the operation began shortly after 10:20am, when emergency services responded to a van on fire.Residents told responding officers they saw the man in the van, which had been stolen from the nearby area a couple of days earlier, and he threatened them with a shotgun as he fled the apartment block and set the vehicle ablaze.No shots were fired.Police have described the man as Caucasian, about 20 years old, about 160 centimetres tall and of a slim build with shaggy brown hair.Police descended on Dulwich Hill streets after reports of a gunman in the area. (ABC News: Timothy Ailwood)He was reported to be wearing a blue T-shirt and long black pants and fled down Union Street towards Laxton Reserve.Police later released an image as part of their investigation of a man with a dark jumper, black cap and white shoes.The man's identity has not been confirmed.Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald says the streets were locked down to enable the police search. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)Superintendent Fitzgerald said sightings of the man should be reported to Triple Zero (000) and anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage should share it with investigators.The neighbourhood was locked down for three hours while the search, which involved riot squad officers, officers in bulletproof vests, police dogs and the PolAir helicopter, was underway.