Community grieves after death of passionate rapper

Family and friends are grieving the loss of a “talented and sociable” young rapper who died after he was shot by a gunman who remains on the run.

The man in his 20s was found with gunshot wounds on Langford St in North Melbourne about 3.15am on Saturday and died at the scene.

He is yet to be formally identified but the chair of Victoria’s South Sudanese Community Association and lawyer Kot Monoah described him as a “passionate” rapper.

“It is a tragic loss ... and we all feel for the family [who lost] a young person who had a promising future ahead of him,” he told AAP on Sunday.

“These young people are very talented, very sociable ... they make a lot of contributions to the family, friends and community overall so when these things happen, it is a big loss.”

Monoah said a member of the association had reached out to the family and the community was rallying around them in the wake of the tragedy.

With the shooter still on the run, Victoria Police are calling for any witnesses to come forward.

Detective Acting Inspector Alan Rumble said people were making their way home from venues in the semi-industrial area at the time of the shooting.

“Our real goal here ... is to follow down, identify all avenues of inquiry, investigate those and ensure the family of the victim are supported at this horrible time,” he said on Saturday.

It’s not yet known how many shots were fired at the victim.

The crime scene is close to a train station, a major road, warehouses and a creek.

Monoah told AAP “friends feel a grief and ... often when emotions are involved, it could lead into another retaliation”.

“As a community, we will be urging them to let the law take its own course and not allow anybody to take any matter to their own hands.

“We feel for the loss ... the police will ultimately detain this person, no matter how long it may take for them to investigate the matter,” he added.

Extra officers have been patrolling the area since the shooting.