Raptor Squad officers have charged a man following a public place shooting in Sydney's south last night.
About 5.50pm (Friday 8 July 2022), emergency services were called to a home at Queens Road, Connells Point, following reports of a number of shots fired.
Officers attached to St George Police Area Command attended and commenced first aid on a nine-year-old girl prior to the arrival of NSW Ambulance paramedics.
The girl was taken to hospital under a police escort and has since undergone surgery for internal injuries; she remains in a stable condition.
A woman and two other children were present at the time of the shooting but were uninjured.
A crime scene was established, and the matter immediately referred to officers attached to the State Crime Command's Raptor Squad, who undertook an extensive canvass for witnesses, CCTV and forensic evidence.
Police also carried out a number of overt activities including targeted vehicle stops and search operations on known members and associates of OCNs, with the assistance of the NSW Police Force's Real Time Intelligence Centre (RTIC).
Following extensive inquiries, a 34-year-old man was located on Neville Street, Oatley, about 7.15pm and arrested with the help of specialist police including the Dog Unit and Pol Air.
He was taken to St George Police Station, where he was charged with one count of shoot at with intent to murder, and refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court today (Saturday 9 July 2022).
Two vehicles – including a red Mini Cooper containing several items of interest to investigators, and a black BMW which was located burnt out on Annette Street at Oatley – have been seized for forensic examination.
Forensic searches of several areas relevant to the investigation will continue today.
State Crime Command Director, Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Grant Taylor, said the man's arrest was the result of a highly coordinated response to the public place shooting.
"This shooting was a dangerous, ungainly act of violence that resulted in a child being rushed to hospital for surgery," Det A/Ch Supt Taylor 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.
"The investigation continues, and I ask anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam from the vicinity of Queens Road at Connells Point or Annette Street at Oatley around the time of the incident to come forward," Det A/Ch Supt Taylor said.
Investigations continue.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
