Police were called to a unit on Fairway Drive, Norwest, on 21 September after reports of a shooting. Officers found the boy with a gunshot wound to his face and neck. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated him before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He died on 24 September, and the investigation was taken over by the state's homicide squad.
Nine other people who were in the home at the time of the alleged incident were not injured. Three men, all aged 18, were arrested in the initial response. Two were released pending further inquiries, while the third was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence and remains before the courts.
About noon on Tuesday, police arrested a 19-year-old man, who was 18 at the time of the incident, at Silverwater correctional facility and charged him with murder. He is due to appear in court.
The boy was a member of Sydney's Maronite community. "Rip my baby," his father wrote on social media. "Rest in peace little cuz … Heart broken," another family member posted.
In late September, Det Supt Naomi Moore said police were "aware" of the unit where the shooting occurred and had "engaged with the occupants previously". "This shooting at this stage does not appear to be linked directly to current conflicts however a number of individuals who were inside the unit at the time are well known to NSW police," she said. "Their association with organised crime is being considered by investigators."