Police say a teenage boy and girl were found dead at the home in West Pennant Hills in Sydney’s north-west

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Two teenagers have been shot dead in Sydney’s north-west, in a “horrific” incident police believe may have been domestic violence-related.

Police have confirmed that two “young teenagers” – a boy and girl – were shot dead at a home in Hull Road, West Pennant Hills, at about 5.20pm on Thursday.

Det Supt Brett McFadden said one male “person of interest” believed to be in his 50s was “still at large”.

McFadden said the shooting was “targeted” and “may well be a domestic violence-related incident”.

McFadden said the two teenagers were found dead in a bedroom in what he described as a “harrowing” and “horrific” scene.

A woman in her 30s, believed to be the children’s mother, arrived at the scene shortly after police arrived. She was treated for shock at the scene.

“We’ve really got a family who will be struggling to come to terms with [what occurred],” McFadden said.

Inspector Kevin McSweeney from the NSW Ambulance service said paramedics who arrived at the scene had been “confronted with an extremely [distressing] situation”.

“Unfortunately there was nothing we could do to help [the two teenagers],” he told reporters on Thursday evening.

Police and emergency services attended the home after reports of shots being fired but McFadden said investigations into whether the children were siblings and who lived at the home were still ongoing.

• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic violence helpline is on 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org