A man has narrowly missed being hit after his home was peppered with bullets in the latest spate of shootings in suburban Sydney, with police calling for an end to the “absolutely reckless” attacks that have residents living in fear.

Police believe three shots were fired from a small calibre pistol at a home on Bluegum Avenue, Prestons, in the first of two shootings at 1am on Friday, with the assailants fleeing in a white Mercedes.

Just 20 minutes later emergency services were called to an address on Greenway Drive, West Hoxton, after another three shots were fired, terrifying the family who lived in the home.

Those living at both residences weren’t known to police, with detectives now looking into the background of previous occupants. Both shootings are believed to be linked.

The attacks bear a striking resemblance to the public place shootings in the early hours of Thursday in Cabramatta and Green Valley, which included firebombing of two vehicles.

Superintendent Scott Tanner said the man inside the Prestons home was “very fortunate” to have narrowly missed the gunfire. He confirmed at least two people were behind the “absolutely reckless” shootings.

“There’s nothing normal about this,” Tanner said. “People should not be doing their business or whatever they’re doing at one o’clock in the morning and fear that somebody will come and attack their house.”

Police were deployed to the West Hoxton address on Friday morning, and were seen conducting spot searches and looking under cars and inside bins for evidence.