Updated September 2, 2026 — 7:06pm,first published 4:33pm
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A man has been shot dead in the doorway of a western Sydney home with two children inside in what police are treating as the second mistaken identity shooting in the city in as many days.
The man, believed to be aged in his 40s, was killed at the Merrylands West duplex a day after university student Marco Tapia was shot dead inside his family’s home in what detectives believe was a botched targeted assassination.
Officers at the scene of a deadly shooting in Sydney’s west.Wolter Peeters
Wednesday’s brazen shooting, believed to be linked to organised crime, marks the most significant escalation in Sydney’s ongoing gangland conflicts in several years and has alarmed senior police.
“It’s very early on in the investigation, however, tragically, that is a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by these offenders,” Detective Superintendent Simon Glasser said.
Glasser said the owners of the Bruce Street home were known to police and linked to organised crime. The victim did not live at the property, but had arrived there with a resident and two children moments before he was shot about 3.15pm.
A damaged gate outside a home where a deadly shooting took place on Wednesday.Wolter Peeters
A bullet shell casing lies on the road outside the Merrylands West home. Wolter Peeters
Emergency services on the scene of a shooting in Sydney’s west.Nine News
“The victim has no links to organised crime that we are aware of; however, he is associated with people that reside at this address,” Glasser said.
It is not yet known why the victim, who was a business associate of one of the residents, was at the property, Glasser said. The victim is yet to be formally identified.
Detectives are investigating if the shooting is linked to Tapia’s mistaken identity killing in Glen Alpine and ongoing conflicts with Sydney’s Alameddine crime family and rival groups, including the self-proclaimed Coconut Cartel.
Children’s bikes, play equipment and toys were visible at the front and rear of one home cordoned off by police tape in Merrylands West. Bullet casings could be seen on the ground near a damaged front gate.
The shooting took place a few hundred metres from a school located on the same street.
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“This has occurred around the approximate time of most schools finishing. There are a number of schools in the vicinity, a number of parks,” Glasser said.
“This is a highly dangerous and reckless act that’s been carried out here on a public street.”
A series of mistaken identity attacks, including the alleged kidnapping and murder of Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian in February, has alarmed senior police, who say criminals are younger and more amateurish and brazen than ever.
Tapia’s killing drew comparisons to the assassination of 23-year-old plumber John Versace, who was gunned down outside his family’s Condell Park home in May last year.
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners