Julian Ingram, 37, also known as Pierpoint, is being hunted by police in connection to two shootings that left three people dead in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of New South Wales Police Force/X
Authorities in Australia on Friday launched “a large-scale search” for a suspect accused of fatally shooting three people and wounding a fourth in New South Wales state.
The New South Wales Police Force identified the suspect on Friday as Julian Ingram, 37, who is also known as Pierpoint.
Ingram is described as being Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander in appearance, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall with a medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
Have you seen Julian Ingram, also known as Pierpoint?
Police allege that Ingram is responsible for two shootings Thursday evening in Lake Cargelligo, a small town of about 1,170 people in central NSW about 370 miles northwest of Sydney.
The first shooting was reported to police at about 4:30 p.m. local time on Bokhara Street, according to a statement from the NSW Police Force. Officers arrived to find a 25-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds in a vehicle. Both received treatment, but died at the scene, authorities said.
A second shooting was then reported about a mile away in a driveway in Walker Street, where officers discovered a 50-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition, the police force said.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andy Holland confirmed to reporters in a Friday afternoon press conference that Ingram was last seen driving a Ford Ranger utility vehicle owned by the local council on a road out of Lake Cargelligo.
“We are concerned about the local villages,” he said, explaining Ingram worked for the local council and is knowledgeable of the area, which may make it difficult to find him.
“It would be feasible that he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected,” he said.
Officers have searched several premises in the local area and have identified further premises to be searched, but are still searching for the suspect, he said.
Holland confirmed that Ingram was in a domestic relationship with the victims. Local news reported that the 25-year-old woman killed was Ingram’s ex-partner and was seven months pregnant. Holland also confirmed to reporters that one of the victims may have been pregnant.
Ingram has a long criminal history and was out on bail for domestic violence offenses when the shooting occurred, Holland said, adding that Ingram had complied with all conditions of his release and police had checked on him multiple times.
He has never had a gun license and detectives were looking into how he procured a firearm, Holland said.
“This is a tragedy in a small community,” Holland said. “A death in a small community hits a town hard. Three hits them very hard. It will take a long, long time for this community to get back.”
Police are asking residents of the region to stay indoors as they search for the suspect.
