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Shooting in Australian town leaves 3 dead, 1 wounded

Published: 22 Jan. 2026, 19:59

An Australian flag waves in the wind ahead of the visit by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, to Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Nov. 24, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP]

A shooting in a town in Australia's New South Wales state on Thursday left three people dead and another wounded, police said.

Emergency services were called to an address at Lake Cargelligo, a town of around 1,500 people, at 4:40 p.m. following reports of a shooting, a police statement said.

Three people — two women and a man — were dead, and another man was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition, police said.

No apprehensions have been made.

State police were working to locate the gunman and sent resources from neighboring districts to the town, including heavily armed tactical police, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

The elite Tactical Operations Unit was on its way from Sydney armed with high-powered weapons and will “contain the threat," an unnamed source told the newspaper.

Police used geo-targeted text messages to urge the public to avoid the area and for local residents to stay inside and contacted. The Commercial Hotel, a local pub, was closed by 6 p.m., the newspaper said.

Local resident Manisha, who did not want to give her family name, told Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper there were police cars and ambulances “all over town."

“The town is made of just two main streets. We can hear the sounds" of sirens, she told the newspaper.

Local state parliament lawmaker Roy Butler described the shooting as “tragic news” for the town.

"It’s a terrible situation, and it’s still live, so we don’t have much information. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Butler told public broadcaster ABC.

The shooting came on a National Day of Mourning as Australia remembers the 15 people shot dead in Sydney at a Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 14.

Authorities say the two alleged Sydney gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State group to carry out Australia's worst mass shooting since 1996.

The Australian Parliament on Tuesday passed new gun restrictions in response to the tragedy.

AP