Four people killed and one injured in Darwin motel shooting
Four men are dead and a woman is injured after a Darwin motel shooting, with the gunman now in police custody.
The 45-year-old suspect started his shooting spree at a motel in Darwin at around 5:45pm local time yesterday, before travelling to four other locations by car, according to ABC News.
The man was reportedly arrested after calling Northern Territory police and trying to enter its headquarters. Police commissioner Reece Kershaw said this may have been an attempt by the suspect to “hand himself in”.
It has been revealed that the suspect was reportedly known to police, having been released on parole in January wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner told a media conference the incident was not believed to be terror-related.
“This is not the Darwin we know,” he said. “On behalf of Territorians, our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and everybody else who has been impacted.”
Multiple witnesses said the man walked into the Palms Motel, Darwin on McMinn Street holding a pump-action shotgun, and fired at multiple doors.
They said he was looking for someone called “Alex”.
“He shot up every room in that place,” one man told ABC News. “He got what he wanted and then he left in his pick-up. We watched him walk from room to room, shooting every room.”
He continued that the victims said “they had no idea why he was there, why he was shooting at them, it appeared to be a random attack”.
Jasmine Kielle and Brendon Ozanne were staying at the Palms Motel after recently settling in Darwin.
The couple hid in their room’s shower for 40 minutes after Kielle encountered the shooter after she went outside to check the source of a “loud banging” at the front of the motel.
“As I’ve gone down towards the stairs, I saw a man in a high-vis shirt walk out with a rifle,” she told ABC News.
“He’s turned to look at me and I’ve run to the bedroom and locked the door and we hid in the bathroom, and we called the police and just heard shot after shot after shot.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the incident on social media as a “terrible act of violence”.
We have seen a terrible act of violence take place in Darwin this evening. We know four people have lost their lives and there are a number of other casualties.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) June 4, 2019
Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese also offered his condolences for the “horrific violent crime”.
Have been briefed by @fanniebay and @lukejgosling on the horrific violent crime which has shocked Darwin – along with all Australians my deepest sympathy and thoughts are with the NT community tonight
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 4, 2019
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing, with the relationship between the shooter and his victims still yet to be discovered.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
darwin Darwin hotel shooting Palms MotelLatest News
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