In a grim coincidence, three people lost their lives in a shooting in rural New South Wales, Australia, on the very day the nation held a National Day of Mourning for the victims of last month’s deadly Bondi Beach attack.
The incident unfolded in Lake Cargelligo, a small town more than 600 kilometres west of Sydney, when emergency services responded to reports of gunfire late Thursday afternoon. Police discovered two women and one man dead at the scene, while a fourth person—a man—was rushed to hospital in serious but stable condition.
New South Wales Police promptly launched a large-scale operation in the area, advising the public to steer clear of Lake Cargelligo and urging local residents to remain indoors for their safety. Authorities described the situation as active and ongoing.
Local state parliamentarian Roy Butler described the event as a “terrible situation” that was still unfolding, expressing his condolences to the victims’ families while noting limited details were available at the time. He spoke to Australian media channels about the developing crisis.
According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, the suspected gunman was believed to be barricaded within the town and armed with a long-arm weapon. The shooter remained at large, prompting an intensified manhunt by police.
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This latest tragedy occurred roughly one month after a devastating mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where two gunmen killed 15 people in what ranks as one of Australia’s worst mass shootings in recent decades.
In the wake of that atrocity, Australian lawmakers moved swiftly this week to introduce stricter firearm regulations. These include a national gun buyback programme and enhanced background checks for licences. New South Wales, the state with the country’s highest number of registered firearms, has imposed new limits allowing individuals a maximum of four guns and requiring gun club membership for licence holders.
The timing of Thursday’s shooting has underscored ongoing concerns about gun violence in the country, even as communities continue to grieve the Bondi victims. Police have not yet released further details on the motive or the suspect’s identity, but investigations remain active in the remote central west region.
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