Sydney police investigate second possible mistaken identity killing in two days
Wednesday's fatal shooting of a man in his 40s comes after a university student was gunned down on Tuesday.
Sydney authorities are investigating two fatal shootings that occurred within 48 hours, both of which law enforcement officials suspect may have involved the wrong victims.
The Sydney police force is looking into a second potential case of mistaken identity in a killing linked to organized crime, following a similar incident less than two days prior.
On Wednesday, at approximately 3:15 PM local time, emergency services responded to a residence in Merrylands West after reports of a drive-by shooting targeting a man in his 40s. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The previous day, around 3:40 AM on Tuesday, a university student in his 20s, who had no known criminal connections, was shot during a home invasion in Glen Alpine, located in the city's southwest. He also died at the scene.
Police indicate that the Tuesday shooting appears to be an "innocent life" claimed by organized crime, while Wednesday's deadly assault may have targeted the "wrong person."
Investigators believe the man had arrived at the Merrylands West home just moments before he was shot in the doorway.
When asked if the case was being treated as a suspected mistaken identity, police responded: "Tragically, that is a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by these offenders."
"The victim has no links that we are aware of to organised crime, however he has associated with people that reside at this address," Detective Superintendent Simon Glasser stated on Wednesday.
The occupants of the home were "very well known to police" due to their connections to organized crime, but the man who was shot was "quite likely" a business associate, Glasser added.
Earlier, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon had characterized Tuesday's killing of Marco Tapia, a university student whose only police record was for a traffic offense, as "completely unacceptable."
"The fact that what appears to be an innocent life was taken [on Tuesday] is something that no community should accept and no community should live in fear of violence," Lanyon remarked.
"I don't want any innocent member of the community to be impacted by organised crime. We will not tolerate it."
Shortly after Tuesday's fatal shooting, a known figure in organized crime posted a message on social media stating: "popped the wrong person, didn't even get the right house."
Earlier this year, an 85-year-old Sydney grandfather, Chris Baghsarian, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. He was taken from his home in a pre-dawn raid, and his body was discovered two weeks later near a golf course. Several individuals have since been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
Last year, a Sydney plumber was fatally shot in front of his family home in what police also identified as a case of mistaken identity.