A sleeping teenage boy is believed to be the unintended victim of a targeted shooting into a home in Endeavour Hills, according to police.
The 17-year-old was sleeping when he was shot in the Janmara Court house about 1.20am on Wednesday 13 September.
Several shots were fired from either the road or the street, with two puncturing the second-storey bedroom’s window.
He was taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition with suspected non-life-threatening injuries.
Other family members in the home were not injured. No other homes or cars were struck.
A Mitsubishi Eclipse SUV that was found burnt out at Sweeney Reserve Narre Warren has been linked to the attack.
It was observed doing a “couple of laps” of the court immediately before the shooting.
One of the alleged offenders may have been later burnt, police believe.
“We are in the early stages of the investigation but we are operating in the belief that it was a targeted shooting,” Detective Acting Inspector Al Hanson, of the Armed Crime Squad, said.
The boy was “extremely lucky” not to have been killed. He was “not known to police”.
“We don’t think he’s the intended target,” Det Act Insp Hanson said.
“We don’t believe anyone in the address (at the time) was the intended target.
“It’s possible it was a mistaken address but we don’t have information to confirm or otherwise.”
He said the shooting was not linked to any others, including multiple shots fired into a family home in Burrows Avenue in Dandenong on Sunday 10 September.
“We do believe both shootings are targeted shootings.
“We don’t have a random gunman driving around firing indiscriminately in Dandenong or Endeavour Hills or surrounding area houses.”
Any information, CCTV or dashcam footage to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
