Sydney police arrest man for allegedly coordinating failed hit on father and daughter

Police in southwest Sydney have arrested a 19-year-old man, David Kulitapa, in connection with an allegedly failed gangland hit targeting a 44-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter. The incident occurred on June 9 near a school in Fairfield West during the busy school pick-up period.

According to Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Smith, a gunman attempted to shoot through the windscreen of the victims' vehicle, but the pistol jammed. The gunman then pursued the teenage girl and attempted to fire at her, but the weapon failed to function a second time, allowing both victims to flee to safety.

Authorities allege that Kulitapa was not the gunman or the driver, but was responsible for preparatory acts. These allegedly included physical surveillance, staging vehicles, and using tracking devices to monitor the victims' movements for several days. Investigators believe the attack was a targeted, contracted hit from overseas motivated by family associations. Police noted a concerning trend of using young people to carry out such contract crimes for small sums of money and notoriety.