By Marta Pascual Juanola
Three balaclava-clad men who shot at a homeowner in Melbourne’s northern suburbs during a botched home invasion broke into the man’s house intending to kill him but later realised they had the wrong address, police believe.
Police also think the trio’s getaway car could hold the clues to solve the attempted “execution-style home invasion” which left neighbours on the residential street terrified.
Armed squad detectives on Wednesday released closed-circuit television footage of the botched break-in in a bid to identify the alleged offenders, who have been on the run since April 29.
In the footage, the trio can be seen running toward the front door of the Strathmore home, in Melbourne’s north-west, before one of the men starts shooting at the handle.
After failing to break the lock, another man begins repeatedly hacking the door with an axe before using the weapon to smash a nearby window.
Two of the men are then seen crawling through the window to unlock the front door, leaving their alleged accomplice outside to guard the entrance.
CCTV footage obtained by police shows the man attempting to break in by hacking the door with an axe.Credit: Police Media
Police allege the men shot at a 54-year-old man inside the home before realising he was the wrong person and fleeing the scene in a stolen black Volkswagen Tiguan, which was later found torched along Donnybrook Road in Woodstock by investigators.
The bullets narrowly missed the man, who was home alone at the time and wasn’t physically injured during the ordeal, which lasted less than a minute.
The alleged attackers are believed to have fled the scene of the car fire towards Epping in a white 2018 Mazda 3 hatchback. Police are yet to find the car.
Armed Squad Detective acting Senior Sergeant Simon Pengelly said the alleged hitmen had realised they had the wrong target during a brief conversation with the homeowner.
Pengelly said investigators had identified the intended target of the attack but would not provide any additional details due to safety concerns.
“It’s quite clear that they wanted to go in there to execute,” he said. “This would have been terrifying for that person who was in that house. This is a lot more extreme than what I’ve seen previously in relation to firearm-related violence.”
Pengelly said investigators had identified a list of suspects and were exploring whether the attempted hit was linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
He said alliances shifted over time and police were keen to speak to anyone with information on the men and the vehicle in the images.
“If there are people out there with information about the incident who are yet to come forward, I’d again appeal to those people to contact police and as always, this can be done anonymously,” he said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has information on the men or the vehicle involved is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
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