Cops appeal after truckie shot

Detectives are appealing for dashcam footage and public information after a truck driver was assaulted, robbed and shot twice, near Lithgow earlier this week.

About 5:00am on Tuesday (September 29), 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 man from Western Australia – 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.

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 8:00pm on Monday and 5:00am 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.