Campbelltown shooting: What we know about the accused, and victims Aleksandra and daughter Daniela
Gunshots rang out at the weekend in a quiet eastern suburbs street when a man allegedly gunned down a woman and her daughter. Here’s what we know so far.
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On Saturday afternoon, gunshots rang out in a quiet eastern suburbs street and plunged a neighbourhood into chaos.
A man allegedly gunned down one woman and turned the gun on her daughter, leaving them both lying in the driveway of the home.
Here’s what we know.
What happened on Saturday?
About 1.30pm, police received reports residents on Elm Rd at Campbelltown had heard gunshots coming from a nearby property.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Aleksandra Vergulis, 51, lying dead in the driveway and her daughter Daniela Vergulis, 22, with serious injuries.
Both were allegedly shot by the 51-year-old man.
By the time police, including heavily armed STAR Group officers had arrived, the man had allegedly barricaded himself inside his home with firearms, sparking a four-hour long siege in the street.
After tense negotiations, the man was taken into custody without incident, police said.
He was taken to the City Watch House where he was charged with murder and attempted murder.
He did not apply for police bail and faced the Magistrates Court on Monday.
Who is the accused?
The accused man relied on the women to regularly visit his Elm Rd home and drop off food and other supplies before allegedly gunning them down on Saturday afternoon.
An online health directory lists him as an exercise physiologist.
Is it believed the man moved to Australia from eastern Europe and that they had lived in the Elm Rd home since just before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
What we know about Aleksandra Vergulis
Aleksandra Vergulis was dropping off groceries to the man and performing a welfare check on him when she was allegedly shot dead in the driveway.
Ms Vergulis regularly visited the home to check in on the accused man.
She worked as an executive assistant at the University of South Australia in the Education Futures unit.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Vergulis had previously worked as a procurement officer for the Defence Department before joining the university.
The university has not yet commented on her death.
Just months before her death, Ms Vergulis posted an emotional message online congratulating her daughter on graduating from UniSA.
“I am so proud of you sweetheart,” Ms Vergulis wrote.
“I will always be there to support you.
“You are brilliant, able and ambitious, an achiever.
“It was a big pleasure seeing you grow into the beautiful young lady, an educated professional that you are today.
“I bless you with all that you need to earn many more achievements and feasts in life ahead and I will always be there to support you.”
What we know about Daniela Vergulis
Daniela Vergulis had recently graduated from UniSA and had just begun her law career.
“I am so proud to announce that I have graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Laws (Second class Honours) and Bachelor of Psychology,” Daniela posted on LinkedIn.
“I look forward to continuing my career in law and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!
“I am so grateful for my loved ones who have supported me through this journey.”
According to her LinkedIn, she works as a legal secretary in the civil litigation department of the Crown Solicitor’s Office and had previously worked as clerk at the Courts Administration Authority.
She was taken to the Royal Hospital on Saturday in a critical but stable condition.
SA Health declined to provide an update on Daniela’s condition on Sunday because of the ongoing police investigation.
How neighbours reacted to the shooting
Neighbours on the typically quiet Elm Rd were shocked when news of the shooting and subsequent siege broke on Saturday, telling The Advertiser what they saw and heard at the scene.
Tony, who declined to provide his surname, said the shooting was “bizarre”.
“It’s been a pretty horrific 24 hours,” Tony told The Advertiser on Sunday.
He was shocked at the chaos that unfolded in his “sleepy, quiet street”.
“Most people in the street know each other,” he said.
Tony said the Vergulis family had moved in just before the coronavirus pandemic but was not aware of any issues within the family.
Another neighbour, Michael Karanastasis, said he heard a “bang bang” when the shooting occurred.
“The police told me to get inside,” Mr Karanastasis, 85, said.
Another neighbour, Christine Tabe, said she returned home from the shops on Saturday to the chaotic scene.
“There was a massive police presence so we knew something terrible had happened,” Ms Tabe said.
With the help of police dogs, detectives searched a Hill St property which backs onto the alleged crime scene.
The property owner Annette Drakos said police were searching for any evidence that may have been “thrown over the fence”.
“It’s pretty sad what’s happened,” Ms Drakos said.
Ms Drakos, 69, was at church when police contacted her requesting access to her property.
She said residents of Elm Rd were in “shock” after the shooting.
During the siege, Ms Drakos was ordered by police to “stay by the front door”.
Ms Drakos was unsure if police had recovered any evidence from her property.
What happens now
Police remained at the scene of the shooting on Sunday, with forensics continuing to scour the home for evidence.
The man, who was charged with murder and attempted murder over the weekend, faced the Magistrates Court on Monday.
During a brief hearing the man’s image and name were suppressed as investigations continue into the incident which left a 51-year-old woman dead and a 22-year-old woman with serious injuries.
He will next appear in court in October.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police declining to comment on the specifics of the shooting or the circumstances around it.
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