“I ran really fast, and I jumped on the grass, and I was rolling down.

“I’ve never run that fast … I just kept running. I was going to get shot as well.”

About 20 minutes after the shooting, emergency services found the SUV that was allegedly involved in the shooting, believed to be stolen, on fire on Croudace Road, Tingira Heights, about 13 kilometres south of the car park.

A crime scene has been established in the car park and on the road where the burnt-out SUV was found. Police and homicide squad detectives are investigating the shooting.

NSW Police acting Superintendent Steve Benson said the shooting was not believed to be linked to the earlier altercation, which he said involved several people from two groups, but it was not clear if the shooting was targeted or a random attack. The fight was not believed to have been organised, he said.

“It’s a senseless incident,” he said on Thursday.

“This is an incident that the community won’t stand for and I can assure the community of Newcastle that there are a large number of resources allocated to this investigation to both identify and bring the offenders to justice.”

Brown said the gunshot he heard was loud enough to be heard “from miles away” and that the shooter and Sahni did not appear to know each other. The calibre of the weapon used in the shooting is not clear.

He said he tried to render first aid, but the 18-year-old was already dead.

“I just came back to just see if I could do anything,” he said.

“It’s just that we talked to the guy, and after that, seeing him dead on the floor for ages is just really sad.”

Brown, who said he hadn’t slept since last night, described the incident as “horrific to watch”.

Locals passing the crime scene on Thursday morning said they were “shocked” at the shooting.

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“Never seen anything like this before,” one woman told Today. “It’s crazy.”

“I’m just absolutely amazed that this thing could happen in Newcastle,” another woman said. “It’s just unbelievable.”

Police Minister Yasmin Catley said her thoughts were with Sahni’s family and friends, and the broader Newcastle community.

“This sort of death of a young person is something that we don’t want to see on our streets,” she said.

A Facebook group with more than 1000 members described the “WE2H8TED” club as a “car group for the hated family friendly”.

Police are urging anyone with information, or CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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