A man who was found dead in western Sydney overnight had just hours before fired a gun into a home where his wife and children were seeking refuge as part of a “planned separation”.
It was the first of a series of shots fired by the 50-year-old man, with another fired at a stranger who is now in a serious but stable condition.
The family at the centre of the case were from Victoria, with the perpetrator’s wife of 23 years seeking refuge in Sydney with her two children aged 20 and 15, and her parents who are in their 70s, New South Wales police said.
The perpetrator later followed the family interstate from Victoria in the “hours or days” before the attack took place. Police said he went to the house in the Sydney suburb of Auburn, where he became “enraged” and smashed the front windows of the house, and forced the door open, but did not enter.
He then attempted to shoot his wife’s father, but the gun failed to discharge. He then turned the gun to his wife’s mother, and fired a shot inside the house.
“It did not hit anyone inside, and then the man left. I’m very thankful that we aren’t looking at another tragic domestic violence homicide,” NSW police assistant commissioner, Brett McFadden, told reporters on Wednesday.
After the man left the house, he attempted to carjack a vehicle from a 56-year-old woman driving nearby who “didn’t stop and was able to avoid that area”.
He then targeted the car of a 55-year-old man, whose 15-year-old daughter was in the passenger seat. He then fired a shot through the car window, hitting the man, which police said impacted his shoulder and face.
“He is currently in a serious but stable condition hospital,” police said.
Shortly after 2am, police located the perpetrator’s car in a nearby park. His body was found on the banks of Duck Creek in Auburn with a gun nearby.
Police said the man did not have a known licence for the gun, and his possession of it would be investigated.
His death is not being treated as suspicious.
McFadden said the tragic incident comes as police launched an operation on Wednesday that will target high-risk DV offenders, with arrests “already starting”.
But in this case, McFadden said “the history and the background of this family due to them being from Victoria would not have placed the family on NSW police’s radar”.
The perpetrator had not had any “active interactions” with Victoria police in the past 10 years, McFadden said.
“This is the real challenge for domestic violence in New South Wales, and it’s trying to ensure that we are doing everything humanly possible with the information that is available to us to keep our victims and communities safe,” he said.
McFadden said the investigation “is very live”.
“It’s very active at the moment. We’re working with our Victorian colleagues to get a fuller understanding of the background and wider circumstances,” he said.
Tania Farha, chief executive of Safe and Equal, Victoria’s peak body domestic and family violence services, said separation is one of the most dangerous times for victims.
“Fortunately, the family in this case are safe, but the outcome could have been very different,” she said.
“While there has been progress, family and gender-based violence require a national response, and as this case illustrates, that also includes linking services across state lines.
“We need further investment in frontline family violence to be top of the agenda at national cabinet, and an absolute priority for every state and territory.”
The deputy chief executive of Domestic Violence NSW, Elise Phillips, echoed the call for more funding, urging a national partnership agreement between federal and state governments.
“Here on the frontlines, we know domestic violence transcends state lines. It is a national issue,” she said.
• In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.
