Police continue to investigate the death of a man, and a woman allegedly injured by a machete following a home invasion in Donnybrook during the early hours of January 7.
A group of three to five men armed with at least one handgun and a machete allegedly forced their way into the Middlemount Street property at about 4.20am.
The home was occupied by its 27-year-old female and 28-year-old male residents.
Victoria Police Detective Inspector Graham Banks said upon entering the home, at least one male intruder assaulted the female with a machete.
“A short time later the male resident appears to have confronted these males, there’s been some sort of struggle and a firearm has been claimed off one of the offenders who came into the house,” he said.
“Shortly after that, several shots have taken place.”
When police attended the scene, they located a dead 19-year-old Lalor man in the home’s driveway suspected as one of the intruders.
Det Insp Banks said the man appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds and it was currently unknown how many shots had been fired.
A Clifton Hill man, 22, later self-presented to the Northern Hospital in Epping with a suspected gunshot wound to the lower body.
He was transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital to undergo surgery and police are still investigating if he was one of the men who attended the Donnybrook address.
“We’re working on establishing how he came about those wounds,” Det Insp Banks said.
“The fact he presented to that hospital at the time he did makes him a person of interest for this particular matter.”
The total number of people involved in the home invasion remains unknown.
“Currently we’re confident there’s been at least three people involved … so we’re looking to establish all other parties,” Det Insp Banks said.
“We’ve got a person who’s deceased who is one of those members, one who is in the hospital and we are seeking to establish if he is also a part of that group, so we’re looking for at least one other or potentially two or three [more].
“We’re still trying to establish who’s done what in what sequence.
“All I can say is the [deceased] appears to be one of the offenders who has come in the home invasion and that person is now deceased. How he’s come about those wounds is a matter for the investigation.”
Police believe the injured female fled to a Doreen address before being taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, which police suspected were inflected by a machete.
The Herald Sun reported the woman is refusing to co-operate with the police – when contacted by the Review Victoria Police did not comment.
The male resident is known to police and is assisting with enquiries.
Later on January 7, investigators located a firearm in Doreen.
“Pleasingly a firearm has been located in Kumalea Drive, Doreen, which is a reasonable distance from [Donnybrook] but we do believe it is connected with this incident,” Det Insp Banks said.
Police believe the incident was targeted, with the exact circumstances surrounding the incident yet to be determined.
“We do not believe this is anything other than a targeted incident and there’s no broader risk to the community,” Det Insp Banks said.
“It’s a shocking incident when you look at the fact the injury sustained by the female is with a machete in her own home.
“The fact that there were firearms involved, the fact that someone is now deceased as a result of their attendance at the location and the whole thing is very concerning.
“But as I said, it looks like a completely targeted incident and not something the general community would need to think would happen to themselves.”
Det Insp Banks said the Lunar Task Force – a task force targeting organised crime and involvement in the illicit tobacco trade – was not investigating the incident.
Anyone who witnessed the incidents – either in Donnybrook, Doreen or the Northern Hospital – has CCTV, dashcam footage or any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au.
