‘Absolutely tragic situation’: Boy may have accidently shot himself while handling gun

An 11-year-old boy fighting for life may have accidently shot himself in the face while handling an illegal gun inside an apartment complex in Sydney’s north-west, police say.

Detectives are searching for several people who were inside the Moda apartment complex at Norwest but fled before emergency services responded to a report of the shooting about 5pm on Monday.

The boy remains in a critical condition in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where he has undergone surgery, with his mother by his side. He was conscious and speaking with paramedics while they administered urgent assistance at the apartment before his condition worsened on Monday night.

An 18-year-old man, Isaac Bechara, remains in custody charged with concealing a serious indictable offence. Bechara was inside the apartment with three other 18-year-old men, two of whom were arrested and released without charge, and the boy’s mother when the gun was fired.

Bechara did not apply for bail in Blacktown Local Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody to face court on October 1.

Officers are yet to locate the firearm involved in the incident, while several of those inside the apartment at the time of the shooting have refused to co-operate with investigators.

Detectives do not believe the shooting is directly linked to ongoing gangland conflicts in Sydney but are exploring the possible connection some may have to organised crime. The apartment and its occupants were known to police.

Superintendent Naomi Moore said investigators had not eliminated any possibilities as to how the boy was shot. Detectives are investigating whether the boy accidentally shot himself while handling the gun, police sources with knowledge of the investigation but not permitted to speak publicly told the Herald.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done, there are a lot of people that need to be spoken to, and we are looking at all possibilities in terms of what transpired in that unit,” Moore said. “It is all open for investigation and consideration at the moment.”

The boy’s family is co-operating with police, but investigators are yet to interview his mother. All the people present at the time of the shooting had been invited into the apartment, Moore said.

“It is an absolutely tragic situation, and we’ve seen tragedy across Sydney in the last couple of days; this is not far from the worst that I’ve seen,” Moore said on Monday night.

Tactical officers and a police helicopter swarmed the apartment complex as they combed the property and an adjacent park for the gun used in the shooting. No firearms are registered to the apartment or any occupants. The circumstances of how the gun came to be in the home are under investigation.

“It’s a shocking, shocking event,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told Today on Tuesday morning.

“I hope that little boy pulls through. It’s very disturbing to see firearms in our community, and it’s a dangerous and tragic reminder of what they can do.”

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane meanwhile defended the Coalition’s changed stance on a gun buyback due to start in November, which she has promised to freeze if elected in March.

Underworld criminals and would-be terrorists “are not going to walk into a cop shop and hand over their illegal weapons”, Sloane told 2GB on Tuesday, adding that her party’s position had not been influenced by growing support for One Nation.

“There are two different demographics. There’s city seats, and there’s country seats. So I’m not going to please both; what I need to do is what is right,” Sloane said.

“We should not have unchecked weapons on the streets of Sydney … we’re in agreement with that, but can we leave our farmers alone because these are tools of their trade and some have genuine need.”

There are 217 apartments in the Moda complex, about 40 kilometres north-west of Sydney’s CBD, according to developer Arden Group, which describes the building as delivering a luxury lifestyle.