3 people shot dead in eastern Australia, town in lockdown
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Police urged residents in the town of Lake Cargelligo to stay indoors.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: AFP
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SYDNEY – Three people have been shot dead in an attack in the Australian state of New South Wales, police said on Jan 22, with local media reporting that the gunman remained at large and the shooting was a suspected incident of domestic violence.
Police said an operation was currently under way in the town of Lake Cargelligo, about 611km west of Sydney, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a shooting in the late afternoon.
Two women and one man have died, and another man has been taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition, police said.
“A police operation is currently under way at Lake Cargelligo,” the police said in a statement on social media.
They urged the public to avoid the area, and local residents to stay indoors.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that the incident was a suspected domestic violence attack, and that a gunman was believed to be holed up in the town with a long-arm weapon.
Lake Cargelligo is a town in New South Wales’ Central West region, and has a population of about 1,100, according to the 2021 census.
The shooting comes one month after two gunmen opened fire at an event on Bondi Beach
Australia on Jan 20 passed new laws
New South Wales, which has the most guns of any state in the country, has also passed laws to limit individuals to possession of four guns and mandate gun club membership for licence holders. REUTERS
