11‑year‑old boy shot in Sydney home, in serious condition

An 11‑year‑old boy was taken to hospital in a serious condition after being shot in the face and neck at a home in Sydney’s north‑west. He received life‑saving treatment on Monday night, police said.

Paramedics arrived around 5 p.m. at a unit on Fairway Drive, Norwest, after emergency services were called to reports of a shooting. They treated the boy on the scene before transporting him to hospital. Initial reports indicated the shots were fired from within the property.

Police said four 18‑year‑old men and a 44‑year‑old woman were inside the unit when the incident occurred. All were unharmed and are assisting with the investigation. Three of the men were arrested. At the time of the investigation, authorities had no information suggesting the event was linked to organised crime. Police are also looking into how a gun came to be in the house, as no firearms are registered to the address.

The incident comes amid a spate of suspected mistaken‑identity shootings in Sydney since the start of last year. Last week, two teenage boys were charged with murder following the shooting death of a university student, also believed to be a case of mistaken identity. Police have reassured the community that the Norwest shooting is not believed to be connected to organised crime and are deploying extensive resources to uncover what happened.