11-year-old in critical condition after shooting inside Fairway Drive apartment

Three 18-year-olds are in police custody after a boy, 11, was shot in the face and neck inside a luxury Sydney apartment complex on Monday, leaving a confronting scene for officers who stormed the property to render life-saving treatment to the child.

Paramedics rushed through the Moda apartment complex on Fairway Drive, Norwest, about 5pm after reports the child had been shot. The boy was conscious and speaking with paramedics while they administered urgent assistance at the complex where he is believed to live, but his health worsened as he was taken to Westmead Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.

The 11-year-old was in the apartment with four 18-year-old men and a 44-year-old woman, none of whom was injured when the gun was fired.

Three of the 18-year-olds were arrested and taken to Castle Hill and Riverstone Police Stations for further questioning. Charges against the three were likely but not certain, two police sources told this masthead, and would be determined by further interviews with the occupants and searches of the scene.

The nature of potential charges will also depend on the condition of the boy. Some occupants were related to the boy, while others were friends of the family. The State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad has been notified of the shooting as the investigation continues.

All occupants have been interviewed by police, and are assisting with police inquiries. Hills Police Area Commander Naomi Moore promised a “thorough and expansive” probe, saying the shooting was among the most awful scenes she has encountered.

“It is an absolutely tragic situation, and we’ve seen tragedy across Sydney in the last couple of days, this is not far from the worst that I’ve seen,” she said.

Tactical officers and a police helicopter swarmed the complex as they combed the property for the firearm used in the shooting, which had not been found by 8.40pm on Monday.

Officers searched the park adjacent to the complex, as a large exclusion zone covering much of Fairway Drive was established to assist the search for the gun.

No firearms are registered to the address. The circumstances of the shooting and how the gun came to be in the home are under investigation, as are the events leading to the incident and who pulled the trigger.

Detectives do not believe the shooting is linked to organised crime, police sources said, and are treating it as a separate, standalone incident.

The boy’s mother is with her son in hospital, and was, according to Moore, “as stressed as any parent would be”.

Officers are investigating whether the gun was accidentally fired inside the apartment, either by the boy or another occupant. Police are still working to determine who fired the weapon.

There are 217 properties in the Moda complex, ranging from one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, according to developers Arden Group, which said each home delivers a “luxury lifestyle” to residents.

It is adjacent to the Castle Hill Country Club and two blocks from Norwest station, and includes an indoor swimming pool, gym and a rooftop entertaining terrace.

Residents were seen filtering through the front of the building as tactical police descended on the building, while paramedics moved into the complex.

Others stood on balconies, perplexed about the expanding police operation occurring below.

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