‘Innocent’ student is shot dead in suspected gang execution gone wrong: Neighbour saw ‘hooded men’

A young man who was fatally shot during a home invasion in a suspected tragic case of mistaken identity has been identified as a medical student and Hillsong Church youth leader.

Marco Tapia, 23, was in bed when three masked men broke into his parents’ home on Mount Sugarloaf Drive in Glen Alpine, south-west Sydney, and shot him in the neck and arm at 3.40am on Tuesday, in a suspected gang execution gone wrong.

His mother, father, and sister were inside the home at the time.

The offenders fled the scene and remain on the run.

Mr Tapia had no gang associations, was only known to police for minor traffic offences, had a long-term girlfriend, and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him.

He finished a Bachelor of Medical and Health Sciences in 2024, started studying for a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering in January, and was partway through an internship in personalised surgery.

In his spare time, he volunteered with engineering outreach programs and was involved with his local Hillsong church as a youth leader.

Just a month ago, his engineering team at the University of Technology won an award for creating a scaffold for treating severe skeletal muscle defects.

He shared the win on LinkedIn and thanked all his teammates.

‘He was innocent,’ a family member said. ‘He didn’t deserve this.’

Police are investigating whether the shooting is linked to ongoing conflicts involving the Alameddine crime family and rival groups, including the Coconut Cartel.

Shortly after the deadly shooting, alleged Coconut Cartel leader Iziah Utai posted a chilling social media message that appeared to suggest the gunmen had targeted the wrong person. 

‘Popped the wrong person, didn’t even get the right house,’ the post was captioned, alongside crying-laughing emojis.

The post also included a song by a rapper reportedly associated with the Alameddine crime network.

Utai is wanted by police over the alleged murder of underworld figure Dawood Zakaria last May, and has been regularly taunting the Alameddines on social media.

It is the second deadly home invasion in Sydney within three days after Emad Alameddine, 28, was shot dead at his Guildford home on Saturday night.

An ongoing feud between the Alameddine network and Coconut Cartel gang has allegedly been linked to multiple shootings and deaths across Sydney in recent months.

A search is under way for the home invaders, who fled the property before emergency services arrived on Tuesday morning.

Acting Superintendent Gretchen Atkins said police were aware of Utai’s post and were investigating whether the deadly attack was a case of mistaken identity.

‘We don’t know a lot at the moment, but everything is being considered,’ she said.

A neighbour who lives just metres away from the property told the Daily Mail Marco was a ‘quiet’ man who she’s seen several times.

‘He just zips in and out,’ she said, pointing to his black Honda still parked outside the driveway.

‘They’re a quiet family. It’s really shocking.’

While she didn’t hear any gunshots this morning, the woman said she had felt unnerved yesterday after seeing two hooded men sat in a white car outside of her driveway.

‘They were sat out there for hours and I remember seeing them and thinking it was weird. I joked (to my partner) that they were on a stake out, and, then…’ she said.

After growing annoyed at them parked outside her driveway, the woman asked her partner to sandwich the suspicious car with their rubbish bins.

She said the car then did a swift U turn and parked on the opposite side of the road, still directly facing the Tapai family home.

Another neighbour,  who lives metres away from the house, told the Daily Mail they were shocked when they awoke to news of the shooting.

‘We saw on the news there had been a shooting in Glen Alpine but didn’t realise it was on our street,’ she said. 

‘We didn’t hear anything.

‘It’s scary to know this happened so close to us. Our street is usually so quiet.’

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.