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Police probe organised crime links after 11-year-old shot in Sydney apartment; man charged

Child remains in critical condition after being shot in the face and neck at a Norwest home on Monday afternoon

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources12 outlets
Police are investigating whether an 11-year-old boy shot in the face and neck at a Sydney apartment block has links to organised crime, with an 18-year-old man charged with concealing a serious indictable offence as detectives search for the firearm.

The child remains in a critical condition in hospital after the shooting at a home on Fairway Drive in Norwest about 5pm on Monday.

Detectives from The Hills Police Area Command have charged an 18-year-old man with concealing a serious indictable offence. Two other men, also aged 18, have been released after being questioned. A 43-year-old woman was also present, and police are still searching for another person who was at the scene.

Police initially said there was no evidence the shooting was related to organised crime, but the ABC understands investigators are now exploring whether men inside the unit had connections to criminal networks.

"We have nothing to suggest that it is organised crime-related, but we will conduct a very thorough investigation into this," NSW Police Superintendent Naomi Moore said on Monday night, before the latest developments. She confirmed the firearm had not been recovered.

Five other people in the apartment at the time were uninjured. Paramedics treated the boy at the scene with two specialist medical teams before he was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital.

Local residents described the scene as "frightening" and "something out of the movies", with police cordoning off the area and searching a nearby park and creek late into the night.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • A child has been critically wounded in a suburban home, raising serious questions about how a firearm was present and accessible around minors
  • The potential link to organised crime, if confirmed, would mark a significant escalation of gang-related violence into residential areas of Sydney's north-west
  • The case will test police intelligence on criminal networks operating in the Hills district and their access to illegal firearms

Background

Norwest is a largely middle-class suburb in Sydney's north-west, known for its business park and residential complexes. While the Hills district has seen some gang activity in recent years, shootings involving children are extremely rare. The incident has shocked the local community. Police have not disclosed whose apartment the shooting occurred in or how the boy came to be in the company of the adults present.

Key Perspectives

NSW Police: Investigators are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including whether organised crime figures were involved. One man has been charged and others have been questioned but released pending further investigation. Local residents: The community has expressed alarm at the violence, describing the scene as unprecedented and frightening for the area. Criminal justice observers: The charge of concealing a serious indictable offence suggests someone may have attempted to hide evidence or obstruct the investigation, rather than being directly involved in the shooting.

What to Watch

  • Recovery of the firearm: Police are searching parks and waterways in the area
  • Whether further charges are laid against the two released men or the woman present
  • Updates on the boy's condition, which remains critical at Westmead Children's Hospital

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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