A remote outpost has become the focus of a massive police operation to track down a man accused of killing three people in a shooting spree.
Officers descended on the region around Mount Hope, a small former mining town in central NSW, on Sunday after a possible sighting of alleged triple murderer Julian Ingram.
The 37-year-old municipal employee has been on the run since he allegedly shot three people, including his pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, in Lake Cargelligo on Thursday afternoon.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said members of the public came forward with information overnight, leading to searches of multiple properties in the Mount Hope region early on Sunday.
“Obviously, with an armed perpetrator in that area, we are asking the public to exercise extreme caution,” he told reporters.
Mount Hope is located about 56 miles northwest of Lake Cargelligo, a remote town of about 1,400 residents.
The search extends across ‘exceptionally large’ agricultural lands
The manhunt area continues to expand while the police search for the experienced bushman.
The region is home to large farms, some covering 40,000 hectares, forcing police to search numerous possible hideouts.
“The farms are extremely large in size … that makes the search areas difficult,” Holland said.
“You’ve got open pastures, you’ve got scrubland, you’ve got bushland, we’ve got farm sheds and everything else – we’re doing our best to get multi-numbered police into those locations and clearing those locations.”
As the search approached its fourth day, police did not rule out the possibility that locals had assisted in the fugitive’s escape, although they did not believe he was traveling in company.
His vehicle was not spotted on point-to-point traffic cameras on major highways, leading police to believe he may have remained in the area.
Quinn, 25, and her boyfriend John Harris, 32, were killed when bullets were fired at a dark hatchback on Bokhara St about 4.20pm.
Shortly afterwards, Quinn’s aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, was shot dead at a house on Walker St, a two-minute drive away.
A 19-year-old man was also shot in the home but survived and is in serious but stable condition in hospital.
Police suspect the shootings are related to domestic violence.
Ingram, a gardener for the council, was last seen driving out of town in a Ford Ranger with NSW registration DM-07-GZ.
He has a lengthy criminal history and was out on bail after being charged with domestic violence in November.
Ingram was released on strict conditions after an assessment found he was a low risk because he had not committed any violent crimes in the past five years.
If you or someone you know is affected by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In case of emergency you can call 000.
The Men’s Referral Servicemanaged by No to Violence, can be contacted on 1300 766 491.
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