After answering the front door of his Canberra house late, a man was shot and killed.

Just before midnight, emergency workers were dispatched to the Mansfield Place property in Phillip after police received reports of gunshots.

They discovered a 48-year-old male with a single gunshot wound at the scene. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died later.

The suspected killer opened the front door and fired a single shot before departing the scene.

ACT Police and AFP detectives are still on the site.

A woman was home with the man at the time of the incident, according to Criminal Investigations Detective Inspector Marcus Boorman, but she was not harmed.

"Detectives are looking into the circumstances of this occurrence," he stated, "but the motivation for the attack has yet to be determined."

"Police have identified evidence from the scene, which will all be analyzed forensically."

"We've spoken with a number of witnesses in the vicinity, and we'd like to encourage anyone with information regarding the incident to contact police."

The shooting is eerily identical to one that occurred in Stockton, New South Wales, on Wednesday night, in which a 61-year-old grandmother was fatally shot after answering her front door.

At the time, her 31-year-old daughter and her eight-week-old grandchild were inside the Queen St building.

Police are requesting anyone with information, including a dashcam or surveillance footage from the area, to come forward.

Before the weapon was shot through the screen door, Klimovitch is said to have had a brief altercation with the shooter.

The assailant fled on foot and is still on the loose.