Second suspected mistaken identity killing in Sydney in 48 hours shocks police

Sydney police are grappling with two fatal shootings in less than two days that they believe may have involved organised crime targeting the wrong victims. On Wednesday afternoon, a man in his 40s was shot dead in a drive-by attack at a home in Merrylands West. The previous day, Marco Tapia, a university student in his 20s with no criminal record, was killed during a home invasion in Glen Alpine, in the city's southwest.

The Wednesday shooting

Emergency services rushed to the Merrylands West address at approximately 15:15 local time after a man was shot in the doorway. Police believe he had arrived at the home moments before the attack and had no known ties to organised crime — though residents of the property were "very well known to police" with links to criminal networks. Detective Superintendent Simon Glasser said it was "quite likely" the victim was a business associate who arrived at the wrong moment, and that "tragically, the wrong person may have been shot."

The Tuesday killing

The death of Marco Tapia had already alarmed New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, who called the killing "completely unacceptable." Shortly after Tapia's death, a known organised crime figure posted on social media: "popped the wrong person, didn't even get the right house" — an admission that prompted further investigation. Tapia was the latest in a series of Sydney residents apparently killed in cases of mistaken identity by criminal networks, including an 85-year-old grandfather kidnapped and murdered earlier this year.