The family of Marco Tapia, a 23-year-old student, has spoken out about the horrific experience of finding him fatally shot in his bedroom during a home invasion. Police are investigating the incident, which occurred on September 1 at his parents' home on Mount Sugarloaf Drive in Glen Alpine, a suburb in Sydney's southwest, as a potential case of mistaken identity possibly linked to gang violence.
Three masked intruders broke into the home around 3:40 a.m. while Marco Tapia, his parents, and his sister were asleep. "It was a nightmare waking up to that," Claudia Tapia, his mother, told Channel Nine's A Current Affair. "It all happened so fast. I remember him taking the last breath."
Mr. Tapia's father, Sergio, described the lingering trauma, stating, "Images don't leave our mind, you know, the smell of gunpowder. It's a horrific nightmare that just doesn't stop. Our life has changed forever."
Police have indicated that Marco Tapia had no criminal associations, with his only encounter with law enforcement being a minor traffic offense. Officers are pursuing the theory that the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity.
His sister, Cassie, shared her grief, noting that Marco would not be present for her wedding in November. "He got to open his invitation to come to the wedding, but it's going to be something that he's not going to be attending," she said, adding that he was scheduled to be a groomsman. "He's my best friend and the fact he's not going to be there... is heartbreaking."
Marco Tapia was a biomedical engineering student who had recently completed a degree in medical and health sciences. He was also active in volunteer outreach programs and served as a youth leader at his local Hillsong church. He was reportedly saving money to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Joannette Apolinares, to whom his final words were "I love you."
"He always told me to be positive when I wasn't, because he was such a positive person," Ms. Apolinares recalled. "I feel so bad because I wish I was able to talk to him more."
The attackers fled the scene and remain at large. The Tapia family, who are drawing strength from their religious beliefs, have expressed a desire for peace and have not ruled out the possibility of forgiveness for the perpetrators in the future. "Right now, we are striving for peace and forgiveness will come," Sergio Tapia stated. "I would not want anyone to go through what we're going through."