A major police incident was under way on Friday night after a man was shot dead on a busy inner-city street and a suspected getaway car was torched in a nearby suburb.

Emergency services were called to Baptist Street, near Cleveland Street, in Surry Hills at about 7.45pm after receiving reports of a shooting.

A man, believed to be aged in his 30s, was found with a gunshot wound. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

Less than an hour later, a Porsche, believed to be connected to the shooting, was found on fire on Kensington Road, Kensington.

A witness on Cleveland Street, who asked not to be identified, heard several gunshots while walking their dog.

“It was like bam, bam, bam, two or three gunshots,” they said.

Another witness said they saw a man on the ground after hearing what they believed was a police helicopter.

Police were investigating possible links between the shooting and the car fire. No arrests had yet been made.

A crime scene was established on the corner of Baptist and Cleveland streets, where several police officers remained late on Friday night.