Castlereagh Street, Sydney CBD shooting: How a law firm boss was allegedly ambushed in his office and shot in the groin by a pensioner before hero workers pinned him to the ground until cops arrived

A pensioner has been accused of shooting a respected lawyer in the groin in his office before hero employees pinned the alleged gunman to the ground.

Police allege Sinve Vulic, 79, entered Van Cooney Lawyers’ ninth-floor office on Castlereagh Street, in Sydney’s CBD, at 12.50pm on Wednesday, carrying a pistol and carrying a bag containing a sawn-off semi- automatic M1 carbine rifle.

Vulic asked to speak to the head of the firm, Van Cooney himself, before shooting him in the groin with the gun, police allege.

‘Five or six’ brave office workers, including injured Mr Cooney, 77, held Vulic until police arrived three minutes later.

Other office staff then provided first aid to Mr Cooney, who was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a stable condition.

Vulic was charged overnight with shooting with intent to murder; two counts of acquiring a pistol subject to a firearms prohibition; two counts of possession of a loaded firearm endangering life in a non-public place; and two counts of possession of unauthorized prohibited firearm.

Vulic’s lawyer appeared at Downing Center Local Court on Thursday morning and requested medical attention for his client.

Magistrate Ian Guy said all defendants are being screened. Vulic will next be released in May

Police assume the incident was a personal dispute.

Terrified bystanders recalled the horrific moment paramedics wheeled an injured Mr Cooney out the door before he was rushed to hospital.

The building is home to several other law firms, including O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors and Princeton Lawyers, as well as the Greek Consulate General.

Detective Inspector David El-Badawi commended the police for their quick response, revealing that the first officers arrived on the scene within three minutes of receiving calls for help.

NSW Police said they did not know the relationship between the two older men.

“The people in the office were very brave,” Detective El-Badawi said.

Daily Mail Australia spoke to an office worker who confirmed he helped subdue the alleged gunman, but declined to comment further.

Detective El-Badawi described the alleged shooting as “isolated.”

Inspector Dominic Wong from NSW Ambulance said officers administered first aid to Mr Cooney.

“I do believe the projectile had entered his body; it wasn’t a scratch. But when we arrived at the scene, he was not actively bleeding,” Inspector Wong told reporters.

‘He was in a stable condition. All his vital signs were within normal limits.”

University students Arabella Fennessy and Peniana Blair, both 17, witnessed the aftermath of the alleged shooting.

“We were just catching the bus from Elizabeth Street and we saw all these police cars and ambulances racing down this street,” Ms Fennessy said.

“We waited with a crowd for maybe fifteen minutes and then a man was brought out on a stretcher. He came out of the building with the Greek flag (on it).”

Mrs Blair added: “He looked like he was in a critical condition. He lay on the stretcher with his eyes closed.’

Co-workers Cassie Economides and Rochelle Connell had just left the building when they witnessed a man dressed in a dark top being chased by police.

“We were just going to lunch around 12.50pm when we saw this man being chased by maybe a dozen officers,” Ms Economides said.

‘He ran right past us into the building. “We didn’t see if he had a gun or anything, but the police ran out of their cars and chased him into the building.”

The colleagues did not hear a gun go off and did not know that a man had been shot.

‘It was so scary. We were like, “What’s going on?” Ms. Connell added.