An inexperienced gunman may have been the only thing that saved a Sydney father and his teenage daughter from a suspected underworld hit. Police are investigating whether a firearm jammed during the brazen attempted attack outside a Western Sydney school on Tuesday afternoon, when a masked man allegedly pointed a handgun at a 44-year-old father and his teenage daughter during school pick-up.
The pair escaped unharmed, with authorities believing the intended target was an innocent relative of the Alameddine crime family who has no known criminal involvement. Speaking on Sunrise on Thursday, former NSW Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow said the apparent failure of the weapon suggests the alleged offender may have lacked experience handling firearms.
“Actually handling a pistol is harder than it looks. There’s a process to that. So it indicates to me they didn’t know what they were doing, which is very lucky for everybody,” he said.
The former detective said organised crime groups were increasingly relying on younger recruits and online communication networks to carry out attacks, making investigations more difficult for police.
“They’re contracting like an Air Tasker (but) for crime,” he said.
Critchlow said the attack represented a disturbing escalation in Sydney’s gang conflicts, with family members being pulled into the crossfire.
“This is rock bottom. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around for a long time,” he said.
“Homes were always off-limits, then that became the normal targeting. And then families were safe, and now that’s changed and it’s really disgraceful.”
The incident occurred shortly before 3pm in a residential cul-de-sac lined with homes and packed with parents collecting children from school.
He said offenders often target victims during predictable daily routines.
“They go where they can find them,” he said.
“They knew school pick-up times were a certain time, and that’s where they went to target this poor man who, all indications are, is an innocent victim.”
NSW Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage from the area to come forward.
