Underworld Links Probed in Gosnells Shooting: 13-Year-Old Charged
A 13-year-old Victorian boy has been charged with eight offences, including unlawful use of a firearm and endangering life, after allegedly carrying out a drive-by shooting in a Perth suburb. Police believe the boy was recruited by an underworld organization that supplied him with a semi-automatic firearm.
Western Australian police are investigating whether a 13-year-old boy from Victoria, charged in connection with a drive-by shooting in suburban Perth, has ties to an underworld organization that supplied him with a semi-automatic firearm.
The teenager allegedly used the self-loading rifle to fire over 20 shots into a Gosnells house around 12:40 am on Saturday, hitting a bedroom window and wall. At the time, seven people, including children, were inside the home. One man sustained minor injuries from shattered glass, but no one was seriously hurt. However, the occupants are not believed to have been the intended targets.
Detectives believe the boy was recruited by an underworld organization, which provided him with a pickup and drop-off location for the gun, delivered electronically. The semi-automatic firearm used in the incident has not been recovered.
According to the WA Firearm Traders Association president, Bevan Steele, the weapon allegedly used by the boy is "a highly illicit firearm" that could only have been smuggled into the country illegally. "We haven't seen these firearms in WA, in the legal environment, since 1996 … if you had one of these on your dealer's licence, it is gone, well and truly," Mr Steele said.
Police Minister Reece Whitby expressed concern over the incident, stating: "A 13-year-old boy having access to a weapon like that and carrying out that act, allegedly, is extremely concerning." The teenager was arrested on Monday and charged with eight offenses, including unlawful use of a firearm, endangering life, possession of stolen property, and no authority to drive. He will reappear in Perth Children's Court next week.