A father and his teenage daughter have survived an apparent assassination attempt gone wrong after a terrifying confrontation in western Sydney. The 44-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter were sitting in a parked ute near Westfield Sports High School in Fairfield West just before 3pm on Tuesday when a masked man approached the vehicle and pointed a handgun at them.
Incident Details
According to police, the pair quickly got out of the car and fled the scene. The gunman, dressed in black and wearing a balaclava, also ran away. Neither the father nor daughter were physically injured, but both were left distressed by the incident. Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision from the area around the time of the incident to contact Fairfield Police or Crime Stoppers.
Possible Motive
According to The Daily Telegraph, the intended target of the hit is believed to be an innocent relative of senior underworld figures. Detectives are investigating whether the gunman's weapon jammed as he attempted to open fire into the cabin of the vehicle. CCTV footage captured the father and daughter fleeing together shortly after the confrontation.
Local residents expressed concern about organised crime spilling onto Western Sydney streets. One local told the masthead it was quite concerning because the neighbourhood has many older people and children nearby. A man whose son attends the school said it was very scary to hear about something like this.
Police are continuing their investigation and urge anyone with information to come forward.
