Bikie gangs are behind a drive-by shooting at a Melbourne strip club in which a man was shot in the face.

The man, aged in his 40s, was shot outside the Kittens club in South Melbourne late on Tuesday night – the second drive-by at the venue in less than two months.

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A car carrying at least two people drove past and three shots were fired from the passenger side, before the vehicle took off, police say.

The vehicle was later found burning in Melton West, about 40km away from the strip club.

Detective Superintendent Peter De Santo said the injured man was a bouncer who was hit three times in the forehead by shotgun pallets.

He blamed outlaw motorcycle gangs.

“At this stage, there appears to be a connection between the shootings, which are targeted, and OMCGs involvement in those drive-by shootings,” Det Supt De Santo told reporters on Wednesday.

He reassured Victorians the shootings were not random.

“These are targeted shootings and not indiscriminate shootings, and unfortunately even though they’re happening in the community, they’re more targeted than not,” he said.

The Echo Taskforce has taken over the investigation.

Det Supt De Santo said he did not believe it was a drug war or feud between bikie gangs, but would not go into more detail due to an ongoing investigation into two other shootings in early 2015, and 2014, believed to be linked to Tuesday night’s drive-by.

He warned those involved they were putting innocent lives at risk.

“South Melbourne is a very populated area, there’s a lot of restaurants there, and these shootings put innocent lives at risk,” he said.