NSW Police are seeking the extradition of a 26-year-old Melbourne woman after investigators allegedly linked a firearm used in two Sydney shootings to the fatal shooting of university student Marco Tapia in Sydney's south-west.
Mr Tapia, 23, was killed at his home in Glen Alpine on September 1 after masked gunmen allegedly entered the property and shot him. Police have said they believe he was mistakenly targeted and was not involved in organised crime.
The latest investigation centres on two shootings that occurred in Sydney on August 31, the day before Mr Tapia was killed.
Police allege that three men forced their way into a home on Dora Street in Hurstville at about 2:30am. No occupants were inside at the time, but a gunshot was allegedly fired into a wall before the men left in a black sedan.
About 30 minutes later, police responded to reports of gunfire at Reede Street in Turrella. A parked grey sedan was found to have been struck by multiple shots. Nobody was injured in either incident.
Investigators from the NSW Police Raptor Squad subsequently identified a group of people who allegedly travelled from Victoria to Sydney in connection with the shootings.
Four people were arrested in Victoria on September 16. They included a 26-year-old woman, two men aged 22 and 23, and a 16-year-old boy.
The 26-year-old woman has been identified as Amenah Abusud. Police allege she travelled from Victoria with the group and was recruited and paid to participate in the two shootings.
Investigators allege that the firearm used during the two August shootings was also used in the killing of Mr Tapia the following day.
Police are seeking to have Ms Abusud extradited from Victoria to NSW. The four people arrested are being transferred in relation to charges connected with the Hurstville and Turrella shootings. Police have not charged them with Mr Tapia's murder.
Investigators allege the group stayed at properties in Sydney after travelling from Melbourne. Police also allege forensic evidence and ammunition comparisons helped investigators connect the shootings.
The case forms part of a wider NSW Police investigation into organised criminal activity and a series of shootings in Sydney.
Police have described the four arrested people as significant persons of interest in the investigation into the firearm's alleged connection to Mr Tapia's death.
The allegations have not been proven in court. The people arrested will face the relevant legal process, and any allegations concerning Mr Tapia's killing remain subject to further investigation.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the shootings and identify everyone allegedly involved.
