Girl, 13, seriously injured in targeted Sydney shooting, police say

A 13-year-old girl was shot in what police believe was a targeted attack at a home in Sydney’s west overnight.

The shooting is thought to have occurred about 9.45pm Tuesday on Constance, Street, Guildford.

A group was sitting in the home’s open garage at the time.

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A number of shots were fired, and a bullet struck the 13-year-old girl in the thigh.

Police and emergency services were called, and the girl was rushed to Westmead children’s hospital.

Police said she remained in a serious but stable condition at 12.30am.

The scene is being examined by forensic specialists. Police have said they believe the shooting was “not random”.

“Inquiries are continuing; however, police believe the shooting is not random,” police said in a statement. The ABC quoted neighbours who heard five or six pops, which they likened to the sound of fireworks or a car backfiring. One neighbour told the ABC that she then heard police sirens and screaming.

“It’s the sort of area where it happens all the time, it was just another night in Guildford,” the neighbour said.

Statistics show non-fatal shootings across the state have trended downwards over the past decade.

Statewide, non-fatal shootings have fallen by 6.9% over five years and 4.4% over 10 years.

In greater Sydney, they have fallen 14.1% in the past five years and 6.4% in the past decade.