A gunman armed with a machine gun opened fire on two homes in Melbourne's northern suburbs in a late-night ambush, with residents asleep inside. Police believe the attacks were targeted against members of the same family.
CCTV footage captured the gunman struggling with his weapon outside a Broadmeadows home just before 1am, failing five times to fire before eventually pumping around 20 bullets into the front of the house. An accomplice in the passenger seat fired a shot while the main gunman attempted to fix his weapon.
Seven minutes later, the same gunman struck again in Hadfield, firing approximately 15 shots into another family home in just 1.6 seconds. Police confirmed the attacks were not random, stating they were intended to attack or intimidate one person.
The Broadmeadows house had been targeted in previous shootings, leaving the street on edge. A concerned neighbour said, 'The whole street is living with families, right? So that worries me.' Residents at both addresses were reluctant to speak, though neighbours described them as 'very, very nice' people.
The Hadfield property was also the scene of a shooting last year when a fight escalated, though no one was injured. Police are hunting the gunmen but have not yet made any arrests.
