18-year-old charged with murder in Sydney
In Sydney, Australia, an 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald, who was shot dead at a house in the Merrylands West area on September 2. New South Wales Police believe the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity.
As reported by The Guardian World, Macdonald was not known to police and had no links to organised crime. On Friday, law enforcement officers detained men aged 18 and 19. The younger man was also charged with participating in a criminal group and assisting criminal activity; he was due to appear in court for a bail hearing on Saturday.
Drone seized
According to police, the 18-year-old suspect was operating a drone at the time of his detention. Detectives seized the unmanned aircraft and conducted a forensic examination. Police said it uncovered data that may indicate involvement in the fatal shooting in Merrylands.
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Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi said the use of a drone raises serious concerns. According to him, the young man may have been involved in criminal activity and conducting surveillance of a person or a particular premises. Police are still determining who or what may have been under surveillance.
Charges against the second detainee
The 19-year-old man was charged with participating in a criminal group, assisting criminal activity and driving a vehicle while his driver's licence was suspended. A court in Liverpool released him on bail, and the next hearing was scheduled for September 24.
The shooting that killed Macdonald occurred the day after another shooting in Sydney that was also considered a case of mistaken identity. In that incident, 23-year-old university student Marco Talia was killed at his home in Glen Alpine. Macdonald's death became at least the fifth suspected murder due to mistaken identity in New South Wales since May 2025.
