A shooting in a small New South Wales (NSW), Australia, town has left three individuals dead and one injured.
Emergency responders were dispatched to a residential area in Lake Cargelligo at approximately 16:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Thursday following reports of the incident.
Authorities have identified Julian Ingram, 37, as a person of interest in connection with the fatal shootings and are currently seeking his whereabouts.
According to police reports, a man and a woman were discovered deceased in a vehicle, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Shortly thereafter, a separate shooting resulted in the death of another woman and left a man hospitalized in “critical condition.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the incident is being investigated as a potential act of domestic violence, with one of the victims believed to be Ingram’s former partner.
NSW police assistant commissioner Andrew Holland refrained from commenting on the nature of the relationship between the alleged gunman and the victims.
Commissioner Holland addressed the media, urging the public to remain indoors as multiple crime scenes have been established for investigation.
NSW police have since released a photograph of Julian Ingram and are appealing to the public for any information regarding his location.
“Any death in a small country town is confronting, but again, a scene where you have people shot by firearms is obviously going to make people very, very tense and very concerned,” Commissioner Holland stated.
He further commented on the challenging circumstances faced by first responders, stating that “The scene faced by the emergency services officers at that time would have been horrendous.”
Lake Cargelligo, with a population of approximately 1,500, is situated in the central region of New South Wales.
This incident follows the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach last month, which tragically claimed the lives of 15 people.
Find out who is in each squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup which begins on 7 February.
The disagreement over hate speech laws has reignited questions about Sussan Ley’s leadership.
As Australia mourns the Bondi shooting victims, volunteers have been preserving tributes left in their honour.
The body of Piper James, 19, was found on a beach in Australia on Monday surrounded by dingoes. Officials are investigating her cause of death.
The BBC spoke to people in Sydney about the four shark attacks in 48 hours along Australia’s New South Wales coast.