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 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.

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 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.

Marco Tapia (pictured) had a bright future ahead of him before he was killed on Tuesday

Marco Tapia (pictured) was shot dead on Tuesday morning during a violent home invasion

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

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 shooting, one of the Coconut Cartel alleged leaders, Iziah Utai, posted an apparent reference on social media to a botched shooting.

‘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. 

Acting Superintendent Gretchen Atkins said  that police were aware of Utai’s post and investigating any possible links to ongoing gangland conflicts. 

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

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

Marco Tapia, believed to be in his 20s, was shot dead in what may have been a case of mistaken identity during a home invasion in Glen Alpine on Tuesday morning 

Three intruders are understood to have broken into the Mount Sugarloaf Drive home in Glen Alpine, in Sydney’s southwest, and opened fire shortly before 4am on Tuesday

‘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.’

NSW Police Acting Superintendent Gretchin Atkins said: ‘It’s really, really early stages of the investigation, so there’s a lot we don’t know. 

‘We believe at this point in time that it was a targeted attack.’

‘We are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time who saw (anything), whether it was cars or people, who can assist us with our investigation at this time… just encouraging them to call Crime Stoppers.

‘The victim is known for a traffic offence… the family is assisting us with our inquiries at this time.

An Instagram account linked to Sydney’s Coconut Cartel gang shared a message shortly after the home invasion, saying ‘Popped the wrong person, didn’t even get the right house’

‘A young man has lost his life today and that’s obviously just tragic.’

A crime scene was established at the home on Tuesday as detectives searched for evidence and spoke with neighbours. 

Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad are investigating.

Police are scheduled to reveal more details on Tuesday morning.  

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

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.