Police confirmed Joshua Dillon Maynard, 21, suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body during an altercation with a group of men at Links Drive, Raymond Terrace around midnight.

Officers were told five men were in a car travelling along Links Drive when one of another group of up to 20 males hurled an iron bar at them.

The car stopped and all five males got out to confront the larger group. Mr Maynard was then shot in the chest.

He was driven to a nearby ambulance station and then rushed to hospital but died on the way.

Police said they had spoken to a number of residents and other witnesses, but they are appealing for any more people with information to come forward.

"Information can be provided anonymously and a reward of up to $1000 may be available for information that leads to a conviction,'' police said in a statement.

A neighbour said he heard a single gunshot from a pistol or a small revolver and then saw a white VN Commodore "come flying out of the street".

Another resident, Tanya Burns, who has been living in the area for more than 10 years, said she saw a group of about 15 youths at about 9.30pm last night who had been drinking and were kicking fences and running out in front of cars.

"Violence is a weekly event," she said. "You see something new here every week.

"You hear guns going off all the time down at the park at night."Mrs Burns said police always arrive quickly but people just thumb their nose at the law.

Mum Ashleigh Holstein, 22, who lives in the street with her husband and two-year-old son Jayden, said she was scared and would like to move away from the area.

She said it is not unusual for brawls to occur in the street and smashed windows were a "fairly common occurrence".

A student on the way to school this morning found a red-handled filleting knife in the street that runs off Links Drive which has been handed into police.

Anyone who has any information that may assist police investigating the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. (The Daily Telegraph)