A 34-year-old man has been charged in connection with a drive-by gunshot in Sydney’s south that wounded a nine-year-old child.
The kid was unloading goods from a car with her mother and two other children when a shooter reportedly opened fire on Queens Road in Connells Point at 5.50pm on Friday.
The nine-year-old was sent to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick with hip injuries. She is currently said to be in stable condition.
Police discovered a 34-year-old male on Neville Street in Oatley at 7.15 p.m. He was detained and brought to St George Police Station.
He was charged with one count of shooting with the intent to murder, was denied bail, and was due to appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.
The shooting was described as an “ungainly act of violence” by Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Grant Taylor.
‘This shooting was a dangerous, ungainly act of violence that resulted in a child being rushed to hospital for surgery,’ he said.
‘A multi-level response was immediately deployed, which saw Raptor Squad and other specialist officers work in unison to immediately locate an alleged offender within hours, and gather other crucial forensic evidence.’
According to police, emergency personnel hurried to the home on Queens Road in Connells Point after reports of multiple shots fired.
Prior to the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics, first responders administered first aid to the nine-year-old.
‘I ran outside after I heard the shots and I could smell the gun powder,’ one neighbour told the Daily Telegraph.
‘I could hear a woman wailing.’
Officers from the St George Police Area Command set up a crime scene and began preliminary investigations.
A burned-out automobile was discovered in the adjacent district of Oatley and was subjected to forensic investigation.
In November, a residence on the same street was shot at nine times, but the two men inside escaped unharmed.
On that occasion, police also discovered a burned-out automobile nearby.