12yo narrowly escapes gunfire after Sydney home ‘targeted’ in drive-by shooting

“At first, I thought it was someone at the door,” the girl’s father said. 

A 12-year-old girl has narrowly escaped gunfire during a "targeted" drive-by shooting in Sydney’s southwest.

Police were called to the Cabramatta home at 11:45pm on Tuesday after reports of a drive-by shooting. 

Witnesses told authorities they saw a white Toyota Corolla driving past the property, mounting the footpath and firing multiple rounds before fleeing the scene.

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The house was peppered with bullets. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

12yo girl lying in bed when gunshots started to fire

Inside the house were five adults and four children, the youngest a nine-month-old baby, when the sounds of loud banging echoed through the home.

Initially, the family, who were asleep at the time, thought someone was breaking into their home, unaware that bullets were peppering the front of the property. 

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“At first, I thought it was someone at the door,” said the father, who wished to remain anonymous. 

One of the children inside the property, a 12yo girl, was lying on the bed and watching television when a bullet “went through one of the bedrooms”.

Her father said the 12yo was “very frightened” by the shooting, unable to stop shaking and crying for the rest of the evening. 

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“All night, she couldn’t stop, but luckily she was not hurt,” he said, per The Daily Telegraph. “We are really shocked. Frightened.”

Police are currently investigating the suspected shooting and believe the attack was “targeted”; Acting Superintendent Robert Monaghan confirmed some of the occupants of the property were “known” to authorities but did not explain further.  

The man who lives at the property said he has “no clue” why his home may be targeted. 

“We don’t know,” he said. 

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Thankfully, no injuries were reported at the time of the alleged shooting. However, Monaghan said the family were “distressed” by the incident. 

“The family are upset about the incident, of course; we are very lucky and fortunate that there were no serious injuries,” he said.  

“It is a distressing situation, of course, and the family are distressed about it." 

Shortly after the targeted attack, emergency services were called to Mount Pritchard following reports of a car fire.  NSW Police have since identified the car as the vehicle involved in the shooting. There were no reported injuries. 

NSW Police have established a crime scene and urges anyone with information or footage of the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as 12yo narrowly escapes gunfire after Sydney home ‘targeted’ in drive-by shooting