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Controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank has been released from hospital after he was wounded in what appears to be a drive-by shooting.
The 52-year-old sustained a minor head injury when shots were fired into his Ascot Vale home around 2.20am on Saturday.
Photos from the crime scene suggest at least three bullets were fired into Dank’s house, shattering one of the windows.
The biochemist reportedly told Fox Sports News he and his partner were angry but refused to be intimidated or leave their home.
He has a black eye and a badly cut nose, after a bullet grazed the bridge of his nose, Fox Sports News reports.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital confirmed Dank was no longer a patient after he was admitted in a stable condition with a head graze.
One other person who was in the house at the time escaped without injury.
The Age reported anonymous sources saying Dank had angered a lot of people with his conduct.
“Dank has a serious image problem. He’s decimated two sporting codes, he’s caught up in all kind of financial disputes and he’s pissed off some (underworld figures) for other reasons,” an unnamed source told The Age.
Serious Crime Response Team detectives are on the scene in Melbourne’s inner northwest where the shots were fired.
A neighbour told reporters he didn’t see or hear anything.
“We have got dogs that would go off at the slightest noise. They didn’t go off last night so whatever happened was pretty quiet,” said Dean, who declined to give his surname.
He described Dank as a neighbour “who kept to himself”.
Dank was given a life ban by the AFL anti-doping tribunal last year for his role in doping violations involving 34 current and past Essendon players.
In January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Dank texted a compound pharmacist in August 2012 about testing Essendon players with a new protein being used for racehorses, and said Dank asked former Essendon coach James Hird for help hiding the injection regime from the media.
The biochemist was also tied to the NRL supplements scandal at the Cronulla Sharks that resulted in coach Shane Flanagan being banned for 12 months, and 12 current and past players being given backdated 12-month suspensions.
The NRL said in 2014 Dank would not be allowed any further involvement in the game, but he has denied any wrongdoing in his work with NRL or AFL players.
Dank will speak at a function in Bendigo on Saturday, despite having been injured in the shooting.
South Bendigo Football Netball Club president Rick Townsend said Dank had just confirmed his attendance at the luncheon.
Dank had requested that media not be present at his speech.
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