Late Monday night, police responded to an incident in Melbourne’s north at the junction of the Hume Freeway ramp and Cooper Street in Epping.

Around 9:30 pm, emergency services responded to a collision between a car and a truck. Inside the vehicle, a 23-year-old man sustained “serious injuries consistent with gunshot wounds,” while an 18-year-old woman was taken to hospital with “life-threatening-injuries consistent with the collision”.

Victoria Police were quick to stress that the truck driver, who remained on the scene, was neither injured nor believed to have had any involvement in the events that led to the man’s shooting .

The scene was further complicated by a separate vehicle found ablaze a short distance away on Cooper Street, police are now investigating whether the fire is connected to the crash and shooting.

Describing the scale of the response, Victoria Police stated that “a significant crime scene has been established,” and stated that “the exact circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be established and an investigation is ongoing” .

They urged anyone with relevant information, including footage, to come forward.

Photo: found HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. The image has not been modified.