A 23‑year‑old university student was fatally shot when armed intruders broke into his family home in Glen Alpine, a suburb of Sydney. Police arrived at about 3:40 a.m. and found Marco Tapia already deceased at the scene.
Campbelltown City Police Acting Superintendent Gretchen Atkins said officers are still establishing what happened and described the incident as a “targeted attack.” She confirmed that multiple offenders were involved, but investigators have little information about them and the inquiry remains in its early stages.
Tapia was a third‑year biomedical engineering student at the University of Technology Sydney. He had recently received a university award for his work on volumetric muscle loss and volunteered with Engineers Without Borders. Outside academia, he competed in Brazilian jiu‑jitsu with the Born Ready MMA team in Campbelltown. His family described him as studious and selfless and said he had no known links to organised crime.
Family members were inside the house when the shooting occurred and are assisting police. Detectives are reviewing a social‑media post by alleged underworld figure Iziah Utai, posted with rapper Ay Huncho, which suggested a case of mistaken identity. Police are also examining an abandoned car found on Rose Payton Drive in nearby Minto as a possible lead. The killing follows a recent western‑Sydney shooting that left 28‑year‑old Emad Alameddine critically injured, an incident also being investigated for potential gang connections.
