An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old electrician at Merrylands West on 2 September, and police will allege a drone seized during the investigation links him to the killing.
The charge is an allegation. The 18-year-old is presumed innocent and no court has made a finding against him. The matter is before the courts.
The Shooting
Emergency services were called to a home on Bruce Street, Merrylands West, at about 3.15pm on Wednesday 2 September after reports of a shooting. Cumberland Police Area Command officers found a 40-year-old man with a gunshot wound. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated him and he died at the scene. A crime scene was established.
Several shots were fired shortly after 3pm from the rear of what is believed to be a stolen Audi sedan. The car was later found burned out at Denham Court.
Closed-circuit television showed the car waiting in a side street for about 90 minutes before the shots were fired.
The State Crime Command Homicide Squad took over the investigation under Strike Force Haleno.
The Arrest and the Drone
About 5.30am on Friday 11 September, Raptor Squad officers, assisted by Taskforce Falcon and Homicide Squad detectives, arrested an 18-year-old at West Hoxton. A 19-year-old in his company was also arrested. Both were taken to Liverpool Police Station.
Police seized a drone and had it forensically examined. Police will allege the drone showed the 18-year-old’s involvement, and that he flew it from the back seat of a car.
Homicide Squad commander Superintendent Joe Doueihi said the teenager was suspected of “conducting surveillance on someone or some premises”.
Asked about innocent people caught up in the violence, he said he was “at a complete loss at how they get it so wrong”. He said he was confident further arrests would follow.
The Charges
The 18-year-old has been charged with murder and with participating in a criminal group by contributing to criminal activity.
The 19-year-old has been charged with participating in a criminal group by contributing to criminal activity and with driving while his licence was suspended. He was granted conditional bail at Liverpool Local Court on 11 September and is due back there on Thursday 24 September. His charges do not relate to the death.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Police believe the shooting was mistaken identity. The 40-year-old was an electrician from the Central Coast who co-owned an electrical business. He had no known links to organised crime and was not known to police.
The intended target was linked to the Alameddine crime network and did not live at the property. The owner of the Bruce Street home, who is 30, does not live there either, and police had formally warned him several times that his life was at risk, including in the days before the shooting.
It was the second suspected mistaken-identity killing in as many days. Marco Tapia, a 23-year-old university student, was shot in bed at his Glen Alpine home the day before. The ABC describes it as the seventh mistaken-identity fatality tied to the conflict in 18 months.
Darlene Norton, the victim’s aunt, told Seven News police could be doing “so much more” to suppress underworld violence. “The car was sitting there for 90 minutes,” she said. “If they already knew that these people next door were being targeted, they had a target on their shoulders, why weren’t they patrolling those streets?”
Trevor Norton, the victim’s uncle, criticised Police Minister Yasmin Catley’s refusal to accept that underworld violence was out of control: “What does it take to be out of control?”
Ms Catley said on Thursday 3 September she did “not accept that this is out of control”, adding: “Police are working around the clock to address these issues … and they’re not going to stop.”
Premier Chris Minns, asked whether police had lost control of gangland violence, said: “For the people who’ve been affected, who’ve been killed, the answer is yes.”
Where the Investigation Stands
Strike Force Haleno continues to investigate. The drone is the centre of the evidence, and police say further arrests are expected. No one else has been charged over the death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The 19-year-old returns to Liverpool Local Court on 24 September. The murder charge against the 18-year-old remains before the courts.
Sources: NSW Police Force media release, 12 September 2026; ABC News, “Teen charged over mistaken-identity murder of Sydney tradie”; The Age, “Shot man’s family say police need to do more to control gang violence”, 4 September 2026, https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/shot-man-s-family-say-police-need-to-do-more-to-control-gang-violence-20260904-p60um5.html; Nine.com.au, “Teen drone operator charged with murder over alleged role in mistaken identity shooting”; 7NEWS, “Teenager charged with murder after shocking drone discovery”, https://7news.com.au/news/crime-sydney/teenager-charged-with-murder-after-drone-allegedly-links-him-to-mistaken-identity-sydney-shooting-c-22860186
Photo: MrActiniuM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Illustrative: high-rise residential buildings in Merrylands, NSW. The article reports the charging of an 18-year-old over a fatal shooting at Merrylands West on 2 September 2026. Photographed before the incident and not the scene described.
