By Cassandra Morgan and Marta Pascual Juanola
A woman who died trapped in a burning home became the first civilian fatality in the gangland war over control of Melbourne’s illicit tobacco trade when arsonists targeted the wrong house.
House sitter Katie Tangey, 27, and her family were “completely innocent” victims in a case of mistaken identity that police now say is linked to the state’s tit-for-tat firebombing war.
The house fire in Melbourne’s west claimed the life of drag performer, photographer and burlesque artist Tangey, along with a golden retriever named Sunny in the early hours of January 16.
Arson and explosives squad detectives revealed on Tuesday that they believed the firebombing on Dover Street in Truganina was linked to the tobacco war. They say Tangey’s murder would disgust even the most hardened criminal and have vowed to find those responsible.
They believed Tangey and her family were “completely innocent” victims when arsonists hit the wrong address, destroying the three-storey townhouse while the 27-year-old’s brother and his wife were away on their honeymoon.
Investigators are probing whether the arson attack could have been part of a campaign of violence by kingpin in exile Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad.
“Katie Tangey, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a beloved member of her community, has needlessly lost her life in this senseless and despicable incident, which we are investigating as a deliberate act,” Detective Inspector Chris Murray said.
“The violence that we have seen from these organised crime syndicates and this relentless drive for profits above all else has resulted in this incident. It could be described as nothing less than a flagrant disregard for human life.”
Murray, who had repeatedly warned about the potential for innocent people to get seriously injured or killed in a firebombing due to their uncontrollable and dangerous nature, said his fears had been realised.
“However, we know this is solvable. We know this because there are people out there who have information about who is responsible at all levels of this offence,” he said.
Police released footage of the moment arsonists set fire to a home in Melbourne’s west, killing an innocent woman and dog trapped inside.Credit: Victoria Police
“We also know this is the type of crime even the most hardened criminal would be disgusted with – we implore them to come forward and tells us what they know via Crime Stoppers. As always, it can be done anonymously.”
Investigators have uncovered information linking the firebombing to the tobacco war over the past four weeks, police said. However, officers maintain they do not know who the intended targets of the attack were. That was the “million-dollar question”, Murray said. No other homes in the area had been targeted in recent years.
“We know [those involved] would have spoken, we know they would have said: ‘We’ve got the wrong address’. So we know there are people out there that know that an innocent young girl has lost her life,” Murray said.
“We know that. We’ve been told that. So I want someone to put their money where their mouth is and call Crime Stoppers and give us the information we need. We’ll do the rest.”
Katie Tangey had a knack for make-up and photography.Credit: Facebook
A CCTV camera captured a dark-coloured car, similar to a BMW X3, travelling north on Forsyth Road at Truganina about 2.12am on January 16, about 15 minutes before emergency crews were called to the blaze.
Two men then got out of the car outside the home before a significant explosion. A ring camera captured the moment the townhouse was engulfed, before the two men – one of them, appearing to carry a jerry can – fled. Murray said a large amount of accelerant was poured into the house to spark the blaze.
During a panicked triple-zero call at 2am, Tangey – an administrative assistant – told a triple-zero operator the Truganina home her brother had bought four years ago was engulfed in flames, and she was trapped inside.
By the time firefighters arrived, they could only suppress the blaze from outside, as the inside was already collapsing. Tangey and her brother’s dog died at the scene.
Hours after the blaze, police stood outside the blackened, scorched remains of the burnt home and told reporters that Tangey had been killed by mistake.
Investigators of the firebombing would now work closely with the organised crime focused-Taskforce Lunar, police said. They urged anyone with information about the arson, or who recognised the car involved, to come forward.
“[Katie] suffered such a horrible fate, she did not deserve to die. Our job is to bring her and her family some peace and some justice. We’ll get there, but we need, again, the people out there who know to have a conscience to do the right thing,” Murray said.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.