Two teenage boys, aged 14 and 16, have been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of 23-year-old biomedical engineering student Marco Tapia, who was killed inside his family's home in Glen Alpine, south-west Sydney, in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity linked to a gang dispute. Mr Tapia was asleep in bed when three masked males allegedly broke into the property and shot him in the neck and arm; detectives say he had no criminal associations and the wrong house was targeted, raising questions about how an uninvolved young man came to be killed.

The shooting occurred at 3.40am on 1 September on Mount Sugarloaf Drive, prompting homicide detectives to launch Strike Force Gareno. Following inquiries, police executed search warrants at two homes in Fairfield, arresting the teenagers and charging them with murder, participating in a criminal group, contributing to criminal activity, and firearm and vehicle theft offences; the 14-year-old faces an additional charge of damaging property by fire or explosion. Investigators allege the pair staged vehicles and supplied a weapon for the gunman, who remains at large. Both boys were refused bail ahead of a children's court appearance, and Crime Stoppers is appealing for further information.