This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/28/three-year-old-girl-found-shot-dead-in-western-sydney

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Three-year-old girl found shot dead in western Sydney Father charged after three-year-old girl found shot dead in western Sydney
(about 4 hours later)
A three-year-old girl is dead after she was shot at her home in western Sydney. A father of a three-year-old Sydney girl found dead of a gunshot wound to the neck has been charged with firearm offences.
Paramedics found the girl dead with a gunshot wound to her neck at the home in Lalor Park, near Blacktown, at about 8pm on Sunday. Paramedics were called to the Lalor Park home in the city’s west about 8pm on Sunday following reports a child had been shot after finding a weapon.
Police have released few details about how the tragedy unfolded and detectives from Quakers Hill local area command are investigating and talking to the family. Neighbours reported shouting and gunfire at the property. Forensic officers remained at the house on Monday. Four other children aged between three and eight were in the home at the time of the shooting.
A police spokeswoman said four other children aged between three and eight were in the home at the time of the shooting. A neighbour said the scene after the death was chaotic with the mother and father distraught. Forensic officers remained at the house on Monday. One shot was fired, police say.
Television footage from the scene showed a woman, thought to be the mother, screaming as she was taken away in an ambulance, while a man was sitting in the gutter with his head in his hands. “At the time of the incident, the child’s mother and other children were in the house and the child’s father was nearby,” New South Wales police Quakers Hill commander Supt Paul Carrett told reporters.
Forensic officers were still examining the scene at the house on Monday. “The death of a three-year-old child under any circumstances is tragic. It is tragic for the family and it is tragic for the police and other emergency services who attend these scenes.”
Police confirmed later on Monday that the girl’s father had been charged. “A 43-year-old man from Arncliffe has been charged with several firearm offences and a contravention of apprehended violence order. He is the father of the child who passed away.”
The father was due to face Blacktown local court on Monday.
In a separate incident in Sydney, a 37-year-old man was found shot in the shoulder in Lane Cove on Sunday night. His injury is not thought to be life-threatening and he is being treated at Royal North Shore hospital.In a separate incident in Sydney, a 37-year-old man was found shot in the shoulder in Lane Cove on Sunday night. His injury is not thought to be life-threatening and he is being treated at Royal North Shore hospital.