Woman charged after Lucas Heights shooting
A woman has been charged as an accessory after a man was shot twice in the legs in bushland in Sydney's south. In two other incidents on the same day believed to be linked, a woman was injured when a bullet shattered her unit window and three men narrowly avoided a hail of bullets.
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A young woman will front court on accessory charges after a man was shot twice in the legs in Sydney's south. The incident occured on the same day a woman was injured by shattered glass as bullets smashed her unit window and three more men were shot at in the street.
22-year-old Sutherland woman Darcy Rotherick has been charged with accessory before the fact after a man was shot in the legs in Lucas Heights in March.
The arrest comes after Sutherland Shire and St George police detectives established a strike force to investigate three shootings in Lucas Heights, Caringbah and Bexley which they believe could be linked.
Sutherland Shire Police Commander Jason Box said the “serious” attacks began with a man who was shot in both legs in bushland near Heathcote Rd Lucas Heights on March 29.
“A 31-year-old male was driven by two males in a silver Toyota Camry sedan and forced to walk into bushland before three shots were fired,” Detective Superintendent Box said.
“One of the shots missed and the remaining two struck him in both legs.”
The victim did not know the two males who took him by force and made him walk into the bushland.
Three and a half hours later, police say the same silver sedan was involved in a second shooting on Doonan St in Bexley.
“They have fired three shots in the direction of three males, and fortunately no-one was struck,” Det Supt Box said.
“The same silver sedan was involved in the Lucas Heights and Bexley shootings although no description of the offenders has been provided.”
A third shooting resulted in a young woman being injured as bullets ripped through her Caringbah apartment window while her 33-year-old male partner and their four-year-old daughter were inside.
The woman suffered minor injuries from glass fragments as shots were fired at her apartment from the street.
“There was a third shooting at a Taren Point Rd unit in Caringbah on April 1 where two shots were fired in a residential premises,” Det Supt Box said.
“A white or silver motorcycle was seen outside the premises on CCTV which was then tracked to Brighton-Le-Sands.”
Rotherick was arrested early on Monday and charged by police over the Lucas Heights shooting. She was arrested at a unit on Gloucester Street, The Rocks, just after midnight.
She was taken to Day Street Police Station and charged with accessory before the fact to discharge firearm intended to cause grievous bodily harm.
Police will allege in court she took part in planning the shooting of a 30-year-old man in Lucas Heights. She does not face any charges in relation to the Bexley and Caringbah shootings.
She will face Parramatta Bail Court today.
Investigations into the other attacks are continuing. Police believe each shooting was targeted, though the motive remains unknown.
“There’s no significant link between the victims that we can establish yet,” Det Supt Box said.
“(The victims) are known to police but not for anything of a significant or an adverse nature.”
However, Det Supt Box said the community would not tolerate this behaviour.
“This type of behaviour is reckless, there is no concern for anyone’s safety,” Det Supt Box said.
“The likelihood of more innocent people being injured was there and this quite easily could have been a murder investigation for seven people.”
Police have appealed to anyone with information about the incidents to come forward and contact Sutherland police, St George police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.