Man, 19, Charged With Murder Over Fatal Shooting of Boy, 12, in Norwest
A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy in a unit on Fairway Drive, Norwest, on 21 September 2026. The Guardian
Police were called to the address after reports of a shooting. The boy had suffered a gunshot wound to the face and neck. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated him at the scene and took him to hospital in critical condition. Nine other people inside the home at the time were not injured.
He died on 24 September. Police were informed about 8pm that day. Control of the investigation then passed to the NSW Police homicide team, the specialist detectives who investigate deaths where a crime is suspected.
Detectives arrested the accused at Silverwater correctional facility at about noon on 13 October 2026. Police said he was 18 at the time of the shooting. He was charged with murder and was due to appear in court on 14 October 2026. NSW Police Force
Three men, all aged 18, were arrested in the immediate response to the shooting. Two were released pending further inquiries, meaning freed while police continue to investigate. The third was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence, essentially accused of hiding information about a serious crime. That matter remains before the courts.
Det Supt Naomi Moore said police knew the Norwest unit and had prior engagement with its occupants. Investigators said they had not established a direct link between the shooting and current conflicts. They also said several people in the unit were well known to NSW Police, and possible organised crime associations were under consideration.
Police identified the boy as a member of Sydney's Maronite community. His age was corrected to 12 in a subsequent NSW Police update. Early reports on 21 September had described the victim as an 11-year-old in serious condition.
The case has run alongside a separate organised crime inquiry. NSW Police have spoken of the arrest of a "key player" in a gang accused of setting up murders, kidnappings and arsons. ABC News Earlier ABC reporting named that accused as Reece Fakhr and placed him at the scene of the Norwest shooting last month.
The broader context here is the line police are holding between what is established and what is still examined. A murder charge has been laid against one young adult already in custody. Another charge concerning concealment is still active. Two other arrests have not resulted in charges so far. That sequence points to an investigation built in stages, with the death converting a shooting inquiry into a homicide case and with custodial arrest procedures shaping how the murder allegation was put.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, the court process will test the evidence behind the murder allegation. The details police have released are narrow. Location, injury, medical response, death, arrest location and court date are confirmed. Motive is not. The public comments on prior police contact with the address, on individuals known to police, and on organised crime associations being considered leave open several avenues without asserting a direct connection. Any assessment of risk around the premises, the group present that night, and the circumstances in which a child was present in that unit will depend on material yet to be presented in court.
