Alleged Croydon Park shooter Artemios Mintzas faces court charged with shooting with intent to murder

You had an active shooter with a high-powered rifle shooting cars on a major road … This situation could have been so much worse.

Premier Chris Minns

The alleged shooting spree began around 7.45pm on Sunday, shortly after the NRL grand final kick-off, with Mintzas allegedly shooting in what police described as an “indiscriminate” manner along a busy shopping strip on Georges River Road.

Witnesses described seeing glass “explode” around them as the apartment window, from which Mintzas allegedly shot, was shattered, along with a bus stop on the opposite side of the road. Pedestrians ducked for cover, using cars as shields. One shot was fired through the window of an unoccupied police car.

Tactical police stormed the apartment around 9.30 pm, arresting Mintaz. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries, released into police custody on Monday morning and charged on Monday evening. A .30-calibre rifle was allegedly seized from the apartment.

One man was allegedly shot while sitting in the back of a car and driven to the hospital with wounds to his neck and chest. He underwent emergency surgery and his injuries are no longer life-threatening.

Paramedics treated 20 people at the scene, ranging from minor injuries to shock. Of those, five were taken to hospital for further treatment. Two others were taken to the hospital after presenting to police with facial injuries from shattered glass.

Premier Chris Minns said the swift and courageous response of police saved countless lives.

“You had an active shooter with a high-powered rifle shooting cars on a major road … This situation could have been so much worse,” he said on 2GB radio on Tuesday morning.

“All the police officers who were there, some of whom had only just [come] out of the Golburn Academy, stayed in their ground, kept the community safe, and as a result, I’ve got no doubt, saved scores of lives.”

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Mintzas had moved into the apartment, which is located above a cosmetic clinic on Georges River Road, in July. He lived alone, has adult children, and worked for Transport for NSW with Sydney Trains as a customer service attendant.

On Sunday, police said they were still trying to understand Mintzas’ alleged actions and hadn’t found a manifesto or any material pointing to a motive.

Acting Superintendent Stephen Parry said on Monday police had “very few recorded interactions” over the past 20 years with the man, whom they allege triggered a “highly dangerous operation” in which emergency responders were at “serious risk of death or injury”.

“One shot was fired through the window [of] one of the police cars … if the police vehicle was occupied, that police officer in all likelihood would have sustained fatal injuries,” Parry said.

Police were not aware of any history of mental health issues.