SYDNEY, Jun 20 (NNN-AAP) – A male was charged today, after he fatally shot a woman and seriously injured one man, in the Australian state of Queensland.
Police were called to the Robb Place address in South Mackay, just after 4:30 p.m. local time, yesterday.
A woman was found deceased at the scene, and a man suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Queensland Police, the 34-year-old South Mackay woman was sitting in a parked vehicle, when she was approached by the 31-year-old South Mackay man armed with a firearm.
It was believed that the duo were not known to each other, but resided on the same street.
There were two children inside the vehicle when the incident occurred. They ran away from the scene on foot and were not physically harmed.
Police noted that a 66-year-old man, who lived nearby, approached the man a short time later, and was also shot.
He sustained non-life-threatening wounds to the hand and sternum, before being taken to a hospital, in serious but stable condition.
At approximately 5:20 p.m. local time yesterday, police made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA), as the shooter fled the scene in a car.
He was later taken into custody at a service station, along the Bruce Highway near Hilton Street, with the PSPA revoked last night.
Police confirmed that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The 31-year-old shooter has been charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder.
South Mackay is a coastal suburb of Mackay City, 970 km north of Brisbane. Australia’s 2021 Census suggested that the suburb had a population of 6,918.– NNN-AAP
