PLEASE NOTE: The man charged is 25, not 24 as previously stated
Homicide Detectives have charged a man following an investigation into a home invasion and fatal shooting in the Hunter Region last year.
About 10.50pm on Tuesday 27 December 2022, emergency services were called to Traders Way at Heddon Greta – about 20km east of Cessnock – following reports a man had been shot.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the man; however, he died at the scene.
He has since been identified as 25-year-old Zachery ‘Zac’ Davies-Scott, known to many in the area as ‘Donnie’.
State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad took carriage of the investigation under Strike Force Roslyn, with assistance provided from officers attached to the Hunter Valley Police District and Northern Region.
Police were told a group of people allegedly forced entry to the Heddon Greta home before Mr Davies-Scott was fatally shot in what is believed to be a home invasion gone wrong.
A 52-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries attempting to fight off the alleged attackers.
Other family members home at the time – including two children, aged 2 and 4, and Mr Davies-Scott’s pregnant partner – witnessed the incident, but were uninjured.
The group allegedly left the scene in a white SUV that was seen travelling on Main Road, Heddon Greta, shortly after the incident.
In February 2023, strike force detectives seized a white 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander from a street in Boolaroo near Newcastle.
Following further extensive inquiries, about 6am today (Tuesday 31 October 2023), strike force detectives executed a search warrant in Boomerang Beach – about 20km south of Forster – where they arrested a 25-year-old man.
He was taken to Forster Police Station, where was charged with murder.
The man was refused bail to appear before Taree Local Court today.
Investigations under Strike Force Roslyn are continuing.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or . Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
