By CHARLOTTE KARP, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and MAISY RAE – NEWS REPORTER and KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA
Published: 02:27 BST, 1 September 2026 | Updated: 03:06 BST, 1 September 2026
A young man who was fatally shot during a home invasion in a suspected tragic case of mistaken identity has been identified as a medical sciences student and Hillsong Church youth leader.
Marco Tapia, 23, was in bed when three masked men broke into his parents' home on Mount Sugarloaf Drive in Glen Alpine, south-west Sydney, and shot him in the neck and arm at 3.40am on Tuesday, in a suspected gang execution gone wrong.
His mother, father, and sister were inside the home at the time.
The offenders fled the scene and remain on the run.
A neighbour told the Daily Mail she felt unnerved on Monday seeing two hooded men in a car outside her driveway 'for hours'.
Mr Tapia had no gang associations, was only known to police for minor traffic offences, had a long-term girlfriend, and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him.
He finished a Bachelor of Medical and Health Sciences in 2024, started studying for a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering in January, and was partway through an internship in personalised surgery.
In his spare time, he volunteered with engineering outreach programs and was involved with his local Hillsong church as a youth leader.
Marco Tapia (pictured) had a bright future ahead of him before he was killed on Tuesday
Marco Tapia (pictured) was shot dead on Tuesday morning during a violent home invasion
Just a month ago, his engineering team at the University of Technology won an award for creating a scaffold for treating severe skeletal muscle defects.
He shared the win on LinkedIn and thanked all his teammates.
'He was innocent,' a family member said. 'He didn't deserve this.'
