New South Wales police said they were investigating whether a man shot dead in western Sydney was a victim of mistaken identity, in what could be the second such case in less than 48 hours.
The man, in his 40s, was killed outside a home in Merrylands West at about 3.15pm on Wednesday, police said.
Emergency services found him with gunshot wounds. Paramedics treated him at the scene, but he later died.
Police said the victim did not live at the property and had no “known links to organised crime”.
“Tragically, that’s a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by these offenders,” superintendent Simon Glasser said. “The person who we believe has been shot has no adverse holdings with police.”
He revealed that people linked to the address were known to organised crime.
“It’s very early on in the investigation, however, there’s a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by these offenders,” he said, adding that the victim was “quite likely” a business associate of the residents.
The man likely arrived at the property shortly before the shooting and police were investigating whether he was followed there.
“The victim arrived at the property with a resident at the property and two young children,” Mr Glasser said. “We believe the children were inside the premises.”
CCTV footage showed a grey Audi sedan leaving the area shortly after the shooting.
Police have appealed for anyone with dashcam footage or information about the incident to come forward.
The killing came a day after 23-year-old university student Marco Tapia was shot dead during a home invasion in Glen Alpine in Sydney’s southwest. Police described that as a case of “targeted attack” and said they were investigating links to organised crime gangs.
Tapia was shot in his bed at about 3.40am on Tuesday while his family were inside. Police said they suspected several attackers forced their way into the property and fled the scene afterwards.
Investigators said that Tapia appeared to be an innocent victim of organised crime. He wasn’t known to police apart from a traffic offence.
NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon called Tapia’s death an “innocent life” lost to organised crime.
“The fact that what appears to be an innocent life was taken is something that no community should accept and no community should live in fear of violence,” Mr Lanyon said. “I don’t want any innocent member of the community to be impacted by organised crime. We’ll not tolerate it.”
A social media post by a known organised crime figure shortly after Tapia’s death appeared to suggest the wrong person had been targeted.
Police were yet to confirm whether the post was connected to the shooting of Tapia.
The two shootings come amid an ongoing feud between criminal networks in Sydney.
Earlier this year, 85-year-old Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian was allegedly kidnapped from his home and later found dead.
Police believe he was a victim of mistaken identity. Several people have been arrested and charged in that case.