A man shot dead in Merrylands West was not known to police, in a case with similarities to Monday’s killing in Campbelltown
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New South Wales police are investigating the death of a man who was shot dead in a home in Sydney’s west as a potential case of mistaken identity, marking the second fatal shooting incident in as many days.
Emergency services responded to reports of a shooting at a property in Merrylands West at about 3.15pm, where a man believed to be in his 30s sustained a gunshot wound.
The victim, who is yet to be formally identified, was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
Police said the property was a location known to police for organised crime, but said “the victim has no links that we’re aware of to organised crime”.
At a press conference, Supt Simon Glasser said it was unclear what the man who was shot was doing at the location or his connection to the residents.
“The person who we believe has been shot has no adverse holdings with police. People that are linked to this address are known to Sydney to organised crime,” he said.
“It’s very early on in the investigation, however, there is a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by those offenders.”
The alleged shooting marks the second incident of its kind this week.
On Tuesday, 23-year-old Marco Tapia was shot dead in his bed as his family slept at about 3.40am after multiple attackers were believed to have forced their way into a two-storey home in Glen Alpine, near Campbelltown in south-west Sydney.
The case was being investigated as a case of mistaken identity, police said, because he was not known to authorities and had nothing more than a traffic offence on his record.
Tapia’s martial arts gym remembered him in a public tribute overnight.
“We lost a real one today,” they wrote, adding: “Rest easy Marco, one of us forever.”
The Alameddine network, a notorious crime family, and the Coconut Cartel, an emerging crime-for-hire network, have allegedly become embroiled in a feud, spilling into shootings across Sydney in recent months.
