‘Innocent’ Sydney tradie shot dead as bungling gangsters kill the wrong man for the second time in a week
An unidentified tradesman, Joshua MacDonald, was shot dead in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity in Merrylands West, western Sydney. The 40-year-old electrical contractor was walking towards a house on Bruce Street on Wednesday afternoon when gunmen in a stolen Audi opened fire, hitting him in the head; he died instantly. Police confirmed MacDonald had no links to organised crime, though the property he was visiting is allegedly connected to figures known for such activity, suggesting the gunmen may have targeted the wrong person.
The shooting is the second suspected mistaken-identity killing in Sydney within a week, following the death of 23-year-old Marco Tapia in Glen Alpine on Tuesday, who was shot by masked intruders who broke into his bedroom. Neither victim had any genuine ties to organised crime, and in both cases the perpetrators remain at large. Police and social media commentary, including posts allegedly from a member of the "Coconut Cartel", point to an ongoing feud between rival crime networks, including the Alameddine syndicate, as the likely driver behind the botched hits.
- Sydney tradesman Joshua MacDonald, 40, shot dead in suspected mistaken-identity attack.
- Second bungled gang shooting of an innocent man in Sydney within a week.
- Gunmen from both attacks remain at large; feud between rival crime gangs suspected.
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Merrylands West sits in Sydney's west, an area that has become a flashpoint in a series of violent, targeted shootings linked to organised crime rivalries. Joshua MacDonald, a 40-year-old electrical contractor, had no connection to criminal activity himself but was killed while simply visiting a property that police say has alleged links to figures involved in such circles.
The killing follows a similar case just days earlier in Glen Alpine, where 23-year-old Marco Tapia, also with no known criminal ties, was shot dead by intruders who broke into his home. Both incidents are being examined by police as possible cases of mistaken identity, in which attackers appear to have targeted the wrong person.
These deaths come amid what is widely reported to be an ongoing feud between rival organised crime networks operating in Sydney, including groups such as the Alameddine syndicate. The pattern of botched, high-risk attacks striking uninvolved members of the public has raised concern about the risk such conflicts pose to bystanders, even as the individuals responsible remain unidentified and at large.