Sydney teen charged with murder of boy who was shot in face and neck
The boy was shot at a unit in Sydney's northwest last month and died in hospital three days later.
Sydney teenager charged with murder after boy was shot in face and neck
The boy died in hospital three days after being shot in the face and neck
Australian police have charged a 19-year-old man with murder after a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot in the face and neck at a Sydney home last month.
Police were called to a unit in northwest Sydney on 21 September after reports of a shooting. The boy was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died three days later.
Nine people who were in the home when the shooting occurred were not injured. Three men, all aged 18, were arrested, and two were later released without charge.
The third man, who has since turned 19, was first charged with concealing a serious indictable offence and remanded in custody. On Tuesday, police charged him with murder. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, New South Wales (NSW) police ruled out links to organised crime, but days later investigators said they were examining possible gangland connections.
"A number of individuals that were inside the unit at the time are well known to NSW Police and their association with organised crime is being considered by investigators," said Supt Naomi Moore last month.
Moore added that some of the people present at the time of the shooting were "not currently co-operating with investigators" and that police had yet to recover the firearm.
Local media reported that the incident was believed to be an accident, citing police sources, and that the boy's father had paid tribute to his son on social media, posting a photo of the pair with the caption, "RIP my baby".
When the boy's death was announced, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said any incident "where we lose a young life in those circumstances is tragic".