A manhunt is underway after three masked assailants armed with a machete, a hammer and a firearm fired multiple shots at a suburban family home in Werribee, southwest of Melbourne, leaving the occupants traumatised but physically uninjured.
Police were called to the Powlett Street address just after 9 p.m. on Friday following reports of gunfire. Six people were inside the house when investigators say the offenders approached the property, opened fire and then forced entry. The family took refuge in a bathroom while the attack unfolded.
Officers said the trio smashed windows and sent occupants scrambling for safety. The men were armed with a machete, a gun and what appeared to be a hammer, police said. CCTV footage obtained by investigators captured the incident, including a shot that narrowly missed a 23-year-old man who had been asleep in his bedroom, according to police. The ordeal lasted less than a minute before the offenders fled in a silver sedan.
No one inside the house was physically injured, but relatives described the family as traumatised and said they planned to leave the home. Detectives have described the incident as targeted and said a manhunt for the offenders remains under way. There have been no reported arrests.
Investigators at the scene collected evidence and reviewed CCTV as part of ongoing inquiries. Police are continuing to piece together the sequence of events and the motives behind the attack. The investigation remains active, and authorities have urged anyone with information to contact Victoria Police.
The incident has raised concerns in the local community, where residents reported being shaken by the late-night violence on a residential street. Police have increased patrols in the area while detectives pursue leads in the search for the suspects.