Teen drone operator charged with murder over alleged role in mistaken identity shooting
An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder for his role in a fatal shooting in Sydney, Australia. Police allege he operated a drone to conduct surveillance on the victim's home as part of a joint criminal enterprise.
Why it matters
This case highlights the emerging use of consumer drone technology by criminal networks to facilitate violent crimes and surveillance.
- 8.57am . First published September 11, 2026 - 9.21pm
shares Share article A teenager who allegedly used a drone to conduct surveillance at a Sydney home where a man was shot dead last week has been charged with murder.
Innocent 40-year-old man Joshua McDonald was gunned down in broad daylight in the driveway of a home on Bruce Street in Merrylands West just after 3pm on Wednesday.
Joshua MacDonald was fatally shot in the doorway of the Merrylands West home last week in a case of mistaken identity. Facebook
“It was identified early in the piece that a drone was used by offenders who committed this offence in order to conduct surveillance of the premises at Bruce Street,” the Commander of the Homicide Squad Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi said today.
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