A TEENAGER who was shot in the head early yesterday morning does not appear to have been the target of the shooting, police say.

The 18-year-old was in bed when the bullets, fired from a car outside, peppered his home in Merrylands.

He was taken to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition with injuries to his head and an eye. He is now stable but family did not want to comment.

A friend visiting the victim's home yesterday afternoon, who did not give his name, said: "He's a good bloke, the best bloke you can see. He only keeps to himself."

With the family inside, friends and relatives stood outside the house waiting for police to allow them in. They told police they were there to help clean up the house.

At least 12 bullet holes were fired at the brick house in Blackwood Road at 12.05am yesterday, including four shots across the porch and four at a front window, police say.

The duty officer at Merrylands police, Peter Nixon, confirmed a family of five were in the house at the time.

Police have spoken to the family, but do not know why the house was shot at. They would not say whether the family was known to them.

"It's early stages at the moment. We will still be doing a lot of forensics and ordinary old police detective work," Mr Nixon said. "It's a bit early for a motive but obviously someone didn't like somebody. Sometimes it could even be the wrong house."

Neighbours described the victim as a nice boy from a large family. "They are a good family, a nice family," a neighbour, who did not want to be named, said. "I just say hello. I don't see nothing bad."

Police have interviewed neighbours but could not get a registration number for the car or an indication of how many people were in the vehicle.

The best description is of it being light coloured.

The Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad are assisting Holroyd police in the investigation of yesterday's shooting.