An elderly couple are fighting for their lives after allegedly being stabbed in a home invasion by a stranger, who is also in hospital after being shot by the husband.
Police are baffled as to why a 34-year-old man allegedly broke into the couple's home in Torrington, a small town in northern NSW, before stabbing them at about 12.15am on Thursday.
The man, who police say did not steal anything from the couple, allegedly left the home after the stabbing but tried to re-enter, only to encounter the 75-year-old man holding a gun.
The 75-year-old shot the alleged attacker in the abdomen. The accused man was taken to a nearby hospital.
Both the 75-year-old man and his 72-year-old wife were airlifted to hospital on the Gold Coast where they remain in critical but stable conditions.
