Woman Arrested in Alleged Mistaken Identity Gangland Murder of Sydney Tradie
Police have charged a woman with acting as a lookout in the shooting death of electrician Joshua MacDonald, believed to be a case of mistaken identity in a gangland dispute.
A 28-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of an electrician in what police suspect was a mistaken gangland hit. Joshua MacDonald, 40, was shot and killed on September 2 while walking to a home in Merrylands West, Sydney.
Police allege the woman acted as a lookout for the gunman and assisted in their escape. She faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, and failing to comply with a digital evidence access order direction. She was refused bail and appeared before Bail Division Court on Saturday. Investigations by Strike Force Haleno are ongoing.
This arrest follows the charging of 18-year-old Jimmy Schulz on September 11 with murder and participating in a criminal group. Police seized a drone during Schulz's arrest, which is undergoing forensic examination for links to the shooting. Rugby league player Ratu Viliame Koroitamana, 19, was also charged with participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity but not with murder. He has since been granted bail.
MacDonald, an electrician, had no known links to organized crime and was reportedly not the intended target. It is understood he was visiting a house whose occupants are allegedly known to police for organized crime activities. His aunt and uncle stated that MacDonald died after intervening to protect his friend Nick Brown and Brown's two young daughters.
Authorities are also investigating a separate fatal shooting that occurred a day before MacDonald's death. On August 31, multiple offenders entered a home in Glen Alpine and fatally shot 23-year-old Marco Tapia. Two boys, aged 14 and 16, have been arrested and charged with murder and participating in a criminal group, among other offenses. Detectives allege these teenagers staged vehicles and provided a weapon for the gunman in that incident. A third male involved in the Glen Alpine shooting remains at large.
One line of inquiry for detectives is whether these suspected attacks were orchestrated from overseas and carried out by young local offenders.