Teens were part of ‘planning and aftermath’ of mistaken-identity murder
Two boys aged 14 and 16 charged with the mistaken-identity murder of a university student in Sydney’s south-west were involved in supplying weapons, disposing of a kill car, and cleaning a residence used by the home invasion crew, police allege.
Marco Tapia, 23, was in bed when he was shot dead in a violent home invasion on Mount Sugarloaf Drive in Glen Alpine about 3.40am on September 1.
Marco Tapia was in bed when he was shot inside his house in Sydney. Nine
Police have confirmed the wrong house was targeted, in a tragedy his parents described as a “nightmare”.
About 10am on Wednesday, detectives searched two homes in Fairfield – about 30 kilometres from where Tapia was gunned down – and arrested two boys.
They were both charged with murder, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm and two counts of driving a conveyance taken without the consent of its owner.
The 14-year-old was also charged with damaging property by fire or explosion.
Homicide commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi said police would allege the two boys were not part of the home invasion group, but were involved in the “preparation, planning, and aftermath”.
Despite their ages, they “knew what their actions were leading to”, Doueihi said.
Neither boy was known to police prior to the arrests, and Doueihi said their parents had been unaware of their alleged involvement and were left “shocked” and “devastated”.
He described the boys’ efforts as “clumsy”, noting that the 14-year-old allegedly tasked with burning the “kill car” burned himself in the process and was hospitalised.
Police have been battling a surge in serious crimes allegedly carried out by children or young people hired by gangs, often for relatively small amounts of money.
The Minns government earlier this month announced plans to prosecute children recruited by organised crime networks to carry out gang-related shootings and firebombings as adults.
Doueihi said overseas-based gang leaders were “cowards”.
“They run away from Australia and get young kids to do their work. Man up, come back,” he said.
He said this sort of behaviour from underworld figures was unheard of 10 or even five years ago.
“One innocent victim is unacceptable to me,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said this week.
Marco Tapia was in bed when he was shot inside the house on Mount Sugarloaf Drive in Glen Alpine on September 1. Nine
“We won’t rest until we stop this violence, and I’ll give you that undertaking anything we can do to stop it we will do.”
Tapia was a biomedical engineering student at the University of Technology Sydney and a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders UTS, according to his professional Linkedin page.
The promising student posted frequently about his volunteering experience and engagement in student life.
“I also volunteer with Engineers Without Borders UTS, running the youth outreach program and assisting with society logistics,” Tapia wrote on Linkedin.
“My leadership experience in school and youth programs reflects my commitment to empowering others.”
His parents, Sergio and Claudia, told A Current Affair Marco had dreams of being an engineer
“It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare waking up to that,” Claudia said.
“It all happened so fast.”
Innocent 40-year-old man Joshua McDonald was gunned down in broad daylight in a separate incident in the driveway of a home in Merrylands West less than two weeks after Marco’s alleged murder.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
