A large-scale manhunt is continuing after three people were shot dead, including a pregnant woman, and a fourth was seriously injured in the New South Wales central west region.
NSW police said the alleged perpetrator, Julian “Hoolio” Ingram, also known as Pierpoint, 37, was believed to be “on the move” in a vehicle on Friday.
He was described as “armed and dangerous” with the Lake Cargelligo community urged to stay indoors. More than 100 police were scouring the area.
Court documents show that Sophie Quinn, the pregnant woman who Ingram is accused of killing, had an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) taken out against him in December. It was due to be reviewed in court on 3 February.
Police granted Ingram bail on 30 November for domestic violence-related charges. As part of his bail conditions, he was required to report to the Lake Cargelligo police station daily and to abide by the ADVO.
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The conditions included that he not go within 100 metres of Quinn, her home or her workplace.
Ingram was due to face a hearing at Lake Cargelligo local court on 3 February after he pleaded not guilty to one count of stalking and harassment with the intention to cause physical harm, one count of common assault, and one count of damage or destroying property.
The NSW police assistant commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters on Friday afternoon in the time he had been on bail “he has complied with every condition and police have checked on him multiple times”.
Holland said a risk assessment would have been done at the time he was granted bail.
“The offender has a long history with criminal matters,” he said. “He has similar incidents relating to violent offences, but he has not breached any of these orders for the past five years.”
The manhunt for Ingram began after officers were called to Bokhara Street in Lake Cargelligo, about 240km south-west of Dubbo, at 4.20pm on Thursday. They found Quinn, 25, and John Harris, 32, in a car suffering gunshot wounds.
The pair were treated at the scene but died, police said.
Police said they were also called to Walker Street after reports of another shooting – where they found an injured woman, Nerida Quinn, 50, and a man, Kaleb Macqueen, 19, who were reportedly shot in the driveway.
Quinn died at the scene, while Macqueen was taken to Canberra hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Macqueen’s grandmother, Sandra Little, said on social media that she was “praying” for his recovery – and for the families of the other victims.
Sophie Quinn’s sister, Katy Quinn, said her Indigenous family could have “no peace” while Ingram was at large. She said “none of the victims’ families” felt safe. All were locals.
Police said overnight a number of specialist personnel had been flown in by PolAir and the defence force, including tactical operations unit, negotiators and homicide investigators.
They described the car Ingram was reportedly in as a Ford Ranger utility vehicle with council signage, a metal tray back, high-visibility markings on the sides, and an emergency light bar on the roof.
Holland said Ingram was last sighted driving out of Lake Cargelligo in the council vehicle. He said the alleged gunman worked for the local Lachlan Shire council and would have a “good idea” of the local area.
“It would be feasible … he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected,” he said.
The ABC reported that Ingram was a council gardener working as a weeds officer. Lachlan Shire council was contacted for comment.
Holland said the alleged gunman had never held a NSW firearms licence, and how he gained access to guns would form part of the investigation.
He said more than 100 police were in the area searching for the alleged gunman as a “matter of priority”.
“He [Ingram] is considered armed and dangerous, and we need to ensure information is passed on to the police through triple zero,” he said. “There are police on almost every corner at Lake Cargelligo at the moment.”
Between 1,300 and 1,500 people live in Lake Cargelligo.
Holland said the tragedy would “have a big effect on the community”.
“Any death in a small country town is confronting but … a scene where people are shot by firearms is obviously going to make people very, very tense and very concerned,” he said. “The scene faced by the emergency services officers would have been horrendous.”
Storefronts were closed in the small town on Friday, with the local IGA, medical centre and vet informing the community they had been advised by police to remain shut until further notice.
Community liaison officers were working in the local Aboriginal community to seek further information and support the families of the victims.
The NSW Aboriginal Land Council said in a statement it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the events.
“This is a devastating loss. The three individuals were pillars of the local community, and their loss will be felt by their families, friends and the wider network,” it said.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said on Friday it remained an “active and very serious” police investigation.
“We’re thinking of the people who’ve been affected by this horrible crime, and we’re also thinking about … the brave police officers who put themselves in harm’s way and do a difficult job every day of the year,” he said.
