# A drone in the sky, a man shot dead at home

> Police say an 18-year-old flew a drone over a Sydney street, then passed what he saw to the men who killed the wrong person.
- Title: A drone in the sky, a man shot dead at home · the Guardian
- Summary: Police say an 18-year-old flew a drone over a Sydney street, then passed what he saw to the men who killed the wrong person. Organised crime in NSW is now…
- Keywords: crime, sydney, drones, organised crime, nsw police, news, world, drone, sky, man, shot, dead
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/12/alleged-drone-operator-charged-murder-mistaken-identity-shooting-western-sydney-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-09-12T04:37:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: crime, sydney, drones, organised crime, nsw police, news, world
## Charged with murder at 18
NSW police charged a Sydney teenager with murder over a suspected gang hit in the city's west, accusing him of running a drone for the shooters.
## The wrong man died
Joshua Macdonald, 40, was shot dead at a Merrylands West home on 2 September. He was not known to police and had no links to organised crime.
## A second family, one day earlier
The day before, 23-year-old university student Marco Talia was killed in his Glen Alpine home in a separate mistaken identity shooting.
## The drone gave him away
Two men, 18 and 19, were arrested on Friday. Detectives seized a drone and say forensic examination tied it to the Merrylands shooting.

> A drone was seized and forensically examined by detectives, who allegedly uncovered evidence to suggest involvement
## Still flying when arrested
Police say the 18-year-old was operating a drone the morning officers picked him up, and they still do not know who he was watching.

> It's more than likely that he was involved in some type of criminality and conducting surveillance
## Hits sold off in pieces
Det Supt Joe Doueihi says the teen was one of several people contracted for parts of the job. Other roles: steal a car, destroy the evidence.
## Key takeaway

Organised crime in NSW is now renting out hits piece by piece, and the people doing the pieces are teenagers.