Australian police have launched a large-scale manhunt after three people were shot dead in a small lakeside town in New South Wales, triggering fear and lockdown warnings for local residents.
The shootings occurred on Thursday in Lake Cargelligo, a rural community of about 1,400 people, located roughly 450 kilometres west of Sydney. Police said officers responding to reports of gunfire discovered the bodies of a man and a woman inside a vehicle late in the afternoon.
Shortly afterward, a second shooting took place nearby, leaving another woman dead and a man critically injured, who was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland confirmed that authorities have identified a suspect who remains at large. He said the alleged gunman is believed to have fled the scene in a vehicle, prompting an urgent search operation across the area.
“At this stage, police have identified an offender who is still at large,” Holland said, urging residents to stay indoors while officers conduct door-to-door inquiries and search surrounding roads and bushland.
Police have not yet disclosed the motive for the attack or the relationship between the suspect and the victims. However, local media reports, including the Sydney Morning Herald, suggest the incident may be linked to domestic violence, with one of the victims believed to be the suspect’s former partner. Authorities have not officially confirmed this.
Holland acknowledged the deep shock felt by the tight-knit community, describing the scene encountered by first responders as “horrendous.”
“Any death in a small country town is confronting,” he said, “but shootings like this understandably leave people extremely shaken.”
Investigations are ongoing as police continue efforts to locate and arrest the suspect.
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