The Road to War: Shots fired at couple scavenging council clean-up piles

Police are baffled about who fired shots at an innocent couple scavenging council clean-ups in Sydney’s southwest – or why. The case is yet another episode in Sydney’s escalating violence.

When shots were fired at an innocent couple scavenging council clean-ups, it revealed just how much Sydney is on a gang violence knife-edge.

The terrifying incident, which occurred at Narellan, in Sydney’s far southwest, in the early hours of Monday, June 9, has remained under wraps until now.

In a statement, NSW Police said about 12.30am a 38-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman had driven into a suburban street, intent on looking through council pick-up ­collections.

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As they pulled over, a number of shots were fired from a white sedan that had followed them into the street, with bullets piercing the back of the couple’s vehicle.

Police sources said investigating cops initially believed they were facing another case of innocent people caught in gang war crossfire.

On their minds were similar situations, like innocent young plumber John Versace being shot dead at Condell Park last month.

On that night, gunmen wrongly opened fire on Mr Versace, with police believing the hitmen intended to target an underworld figure who lived in the nearby area.

When detectives initially began investigating the Narellan shooting, sources said there was extensive work done to determine if the couple were shot at after unknowingly looking at a pick-up pile near the house of a known underworld figure.

Detectives believed there were two possible options: ­either that the figure or his associates had opened fire on the couple after wrongly believing they were there to target him, or that gunmen who were there with sinister intent mistook the couple for their target.

However police have since ruled out the local underworld figure theory.

Instead it appears to be another episode in Sydney’s escalating “ordinary” violence.

Catch up on episode 1 of The Road To War: ‘Til Death Do Us Part

Police are currently at a loss to explain who shot at the couple and why they would have opened fire.

“The occupants were uninjured and fled, driving to Narellan Police Station where the incident was reported to police,” NSW Police said.

“Officers attached to Camden Police Area Command commenced an investigation and attended Hamilton Pl to establish a crime scene.”

Sydney’s underworld war has escalated in recent months.

On Wednesday night, a home at North Kellyville was attacked in a drive-by shooting, with police believing the gunmen intended to open fire on another house nearby – but were confused by them having the same street number.

Episode 3 of The Road to War: Murders on TV is out on Monday.

Originally published as The Road to War: Shots fired at couple scavenging council clean-up piles