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A father remains in an induced coma after being shot when he confronted a man he believed was following his daughter in Melbourne's south-east overnight.
Police said 21-year-old Blessing Valla was driving in Cranbourne East about 12.25am when she noticed an unknown man trailing her inside a white station wagon.
Ms Valla quickly called her father, Victor, who told her to head to their home, where he waited outside for her.
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Detective Acting Superintendent Mick Daly said the white station wagon followed the Ms Valla home. Mr Valla then approached the car and an altercation occurred.
"The father has gone out to confront the person in the other vehicle and after an altercation, the driver shot the father," Daly said during a press conference.
The 58-year-old was shot in the abdomen and the man fled the scene in the white station wagon.
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Ms Valla called triple zero and neighbours helped Mr Valla before he was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
He was this afternoon in a critical but stable condition.
Mr Valla's ex-wife said the shooting was unprovoked.
"My daughter watched it all," she said.
"She was saying, 'Dad, Dad, don't go'. My daughter was left holding her dad's hand.
"She [told me], 'Dad almost lost his life for me', it's crazy, it was a young boy with the gun."
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Police are treating the shooting as a random attack and do not believe they were known to each other.
"We don't know why she was targeted herself and why the offender shot the father," Daly said.
Police said another carjacking and stabbing that occurred in Cranbourne East were not related.
Detectives are keen to speak to anyone who has information about the incident or who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area, particularly involving a white vehicle.
