Police in Sydney are probing whether individuals present during the shooting of an 11-year-old boy in the city’s north-western suburb of Norwest have links to organised crime, as the child remains in critical condition. The boy was taken to Westmead Children’s Hospital on Monday evening after sustaining gunshot wounds to the face and neck.
At the time of the incident, five other people were inside the unit, including four men aged 18 and a 44-year-old woman. None of them were injured. One of the men, identified as Isaac Bechara, was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence. Two others were arrested but subsequently released pending further investigations. Bechara appeared in Blacktown local court on Tuesday morning, where his bail was denied after he made no application for it.
Superintendent Naomi Moore said police had prior knowledge of the unit and its occupants. While investigators believe the shooting is not directly tied to any ongoing conflicts, several individuals present are known to law enforcement and their connections to organised crime are being examined. Police have interviewed some but not all of the people at the scene, with some not cooperating fully with the investigation. Additional charges against those released have not been ruled out. The firearm involved in the shooting has not yet been recovered.
Moore described the inquiry as in its early stages and said authorities were maintaining an open approach regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident. She noted that the individuals’ backgrounds would factor into the ongoing investigation. Police have not spoken to the boy’s mother, who was at home during the shooting, and are not pressuring her as her priority remains her child’s welfare.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called the incident “incredibly distressing” and underlined the dangers posed by firearms, particularly to innocent bystanders and children. “They’re very dangerous and we need less of them in our community,” he said.
Police continue to investigate how the gun came into possession of those at the unit. No firearms are registered to the property, and none of the individuals present hold gun licences. Superintendent Moore described the shooting as one of the most severe tragedies in recent days amid a series of gun-related incidents in Sydney.
Since early last year, Sydney has experienced at least six suspected mistaken-identity shootings. Last week, two teenagers were charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a university student believed to have been targeted mistakenly. Despite these events, the state’s police minister, Yasmin Catley, recently rejected claims that gang violence is out of control.
Following the Bondi Beach terror attack, the New South Wales government has introduced legislation for the largest gun buyback scheme in three decades, set to begin on November 2. The Liberal opposition, which supported the buyback last year, announced plans to repeal firearm ownership caps for primary producers and instead proposed a commission of inquiry into gun laws and a freeze on further buybacks. Opposition leader Kellie Sloane argued that resources should focus on counterterrorism and increased policing rather than gun buybacks. Catley described the opposition’s shift as a “stunning backflip” that would result in more firearms in circulation, reaffirming the government’s commitment to reducing the number of dangerous guns in the community.