From the Guardian · · 1m 30s
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.
In brief
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 renting out hits piece by piece, and the people doing the pieces are teenagers. Originally reported by the Guardian.
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.
The one thing
Organised crime in NSW is now renting out hits piece by piece, and the people doing the pieces are teenagers.
