Korean Australian man arrested over fatal Sydney shooting

A Korean Australian man has been arrested over his alleged involvement in a fatal shooting in Sydney earlier this month.

New South Wales (NSW) Police Force arrested the man on charges including murder and participation in a criminal group, according to Australian public broadcaster SBS and other media reports on Friday.

Police allege the suspect was involved in a shooting that occurred in a residential area of Merrylands West, a suburb in western Sydney, at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 2. Emergency crews responded to the property after receiving reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, first responders found a victim with a gunshot wound. Despite paramedics administering emergency care at the scene, the victim did not survive.

NSW Police allege that the suspect transported the gunmen to and from the vehicles before and after the shooting. The police also allege that the suspect transported individuals who destroyed the vehicles after the shooting.

Video of the arrest circulated on social media showed the suspect wearing a gray T-shirt with the word “Korea” printed across the front as police escorted him to a station in handcuffs.

NSW Police had earlier arrested another man who allegedly used a drone to monitor the potential crime scene before the fatal shooting. Police suspect the man was hired to fly a surveillance drone over the targeted property and relay information in real time to people waiting in a getaway vehicle nearby.

In addition, a woman was arrested last week on charges including being an accessory after the fact to murder and participating in a criminal group.

NSW Police allege that the woman carried out surveillance for the gunman and helped with the escape.

Investigators are also examining whether the suspects carefully planned the attack but ended up shooting the wrong person.

Police sources told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that it was unclear why the victim was at the property since the victim did not appear to have any criminal ties. Investigators believe the intended target owned the home but did not live there. The residents of the home were known to police for links to organized crime.

Asked if investigators were treating the case as a suspected mistaken identity, police said: "Tragically, that is a possibility that the wrong person has been shot by these offenders".

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]