Former National Rugby League star Matt Utai is in hospital after being shot outside his home in a drive-by shooting in Sydney.
The 44-year-old, who won the NRL title with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2004, required emergency surgery after he was shot multiple times on the driveway of his home in Greenacre, a suburb in western Sydney, at around 6am on Tuesday morning.
Utai had walked out of his family home and was on the way work when shots were fired from an SUV, which was later found burnt out in a neighbouring suburb.
The former NRL player suffered two gunshot wounds – one to his upper shoulder and another to his lower leg.
Utai was stabilised by paramedics and taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition before undergoing surgery.
‘It is a brazen ambush of this male person who, from my understanding, was heading to his vehicle to go to work,’ NSW police Superintendent Rodney Hart said on Tuesday.
‘This was definitely targeted. Whether the victim was the intended target or it was somebody that he knows or associates with or is related to will all form part of the investigation.’
Hart added that Utai ‘is known to police but has no criminal history’.
‘He has a small amount of traffic history, but at least we do believe that he may not be involved in any [criminal] activity,’ he said.
In an interview after the shooting, a neighbour said she was woken by the sound of gunshots.
‘I just heard like about four, five shots, scream, and… a car speeding so quick,’ she told NewsWire.
“It just happened so quick. By the time I looked out the window, about three or four minutes later, [I saw] just cops and ambulances coming down my street.’
Reni Matua, who played alongside Utai for the Bulldogs, said: ‘He’s breathing on his own, and they’ve said he’s ‘critical but stable’.
‘I’m just really shocked and saddened by the news. I know it’s shaken up all the boys.’
Beau Ryan and Aaron Woods, who played with Utai for Wests Tigers were live on radio when they learned of the shooting.
‘It’s still very raw… I can only imagine what Matt’s family [are feeling], he’s got kids, he’s got a lot of family there,’ Ryan told Triple M Sydney.
‘He’s got a lot of ex-teammates… we are praying and hopefully he makes a recovery, it’s tough times.’
Woods said: ‘I still talk to him a lot in this day and age, so it’s actually rocked me a little bit.’
Utai, who was named the 2002 Dally M Rookie of the Year, retired from playing in 2013. He also represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level.
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