Mariusz Nurzynski refused bail after allegedly firing homemade gun in Phillip

Mariusz Ergland Nurzynski, 59, cried in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday as he was refused bail.

The Garran man did not enter pleas to charges of discharging a firearm in an act endangering life, unlawfully discharging loaded arms in public, and possessing ammunition without authorisation.

The charges relate to an incident that is said to have occurred in Phillip about 6.05am on Tuesday.

According to court documents, the alleged victim was about to go to work when he noticed a man, who was wearing a face covering, standing behind him.

He chased him up an alleyway towards Ainsworth Street, only for the man to allegedly turn and point a shiny silver object, believed to be the barrel of a homemade firearm, at his head.

The alleged victim claims he managed to run to his Mitsubishi Triton and yell at the gunman, asking what the disguised figure wanted.

After hearing a loud "boof", which he believed to be a gunshot, he drove away.

He later found "a large hole" in the front passenger door of his car.

Upon reporting the incident at Woden Police Station, the alleged victim gave officers a video he had taken on his phone during the incident.

Police who reviewed the footage claim to have recognised the assailant as Nurzynski.

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As a result, police arrested the 59-year-old, finding the suspected weapon in a bag at his unit, in the early hours of Wednesday.

During a subsequent interview, Nurzynski is said to have admitted making the firearm and intending to scare the alleged victim with it.

In court several hours later, special magistrate Rebecca Christensen described the case against Nurzynski as "concerning".

Ms Christensen said police claimed he had "stalked and targeted" the alleged victim, with whom he seemed to have "an obsession".

The magistrate also agreed with prosecutor Colin Balog's submission that it was in Nurzynski's own best interests for him to be locked up.

She said material before the court suggested the 59-year-old had told police "he wished he'd used the weapon against himself, that he despised himself and had nothing left to live for".

Ms Christensen ultimately marked Nurzynski as a prisoner at risk following a request from Legal Aid duty lawyer Lorenna Wienert, who unsuccessfully sought bail conditions tantamount to house arrest.

"He questions life if he was to remain in prison," Ms Wienert told the court.

The magistrate referred to Nurzynski's criminal history, which went back to the days of the Canberra Court of Petty Sessions, as she found he was likely to commit crimes and endanger others if released.

She noted he had been the subject of 173 police interactions and 73 criminal charges in the ACT in the past.

Nurzynski, who shuffled off to the cells in socks and thongs after being remanded in custody, is due back in court on September 13.

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