New armed attack in Australia with almost three dead. The attacker was not caught, a small town was put on lockdown
Australian policemen, Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari / Avalon / Profimedia Images
Three people were shot dead in an attack in the Australian state of New South Wales on Thursday, police said, and local media reported that the attacker was still at large, according to Reuters.
Police said an operation was underway in the town of Lake Cargelligo, about 600 kilometers west of Sydney, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of an armed incident in the late afternoon.
Two women and a man were killed and another man was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
“A police operation is underway at Lake Cargelligo,” authorities said on social media, asking residents to stay indoors.
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that it is suspected to have been an incident of domestic violence and that a gunman is hiding in the city with a large-caliber weapon.
Lake Cargelligo is located in the Central West region of New South Wales and has a population of approximately 1,100 according to the 2021 census.
The shootings came a month after two gunmen opened fire at an event on Bondi Beach to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, killing 15 people in Australia's worst gun incident in decades.
Australia passed new laws to buy back guns nationwide and tighten background checks for gun licenses in response to the gun incident.
New South Wales, the state with the most guns in the country, has also passed laws limiting gun ownership to four and requiring members of shooting clubs to have a gun licence.
