An innocent tradesman, Joshua MacDonald, 40, was shot dead in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity in Merrylands West, western Sydney. His family say he died shielding his best friend and the friend's two young daughters from gunfire, with relatives calling for greater police protection after the killing, which they describe as a "cold-blooded murder".

MacDonald, an electrical contractor with no links to organised crime, was walking to a house on Bruce Street on Wednesday afternoon when gunmen in a stolen Audi opened fire, killing him instantly; the property's occupants are reportedly known to police for organised crime activity. His aunt, Darlene Norton, said his best friend Nick Brown told her MacDonald leapt in front of him and his daughters as they arrived home from school. The shooting followed the fatal shooting of Marco Tapia, 23, in his Glen Alpine bedroom the previous day, also believed to be a case of mistaken identity; no arrests have been made in either case, and the family has criticised NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley and other officials, who insist the situation is "under control".