At least three people were killed and others wounded Thursday in a shooting in a town in the Australian state of New South Wales, AP reported, citing police.
Emergency services were called to an address near Lake Cargelligo, a town of about 1,500 people, after reports of a shooting, police said.
Two women and a man were among those killed, while another man was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
It is unclear whether the shooting was the work of one person or several, and the shooter or shooters are believed to be at large.
Police have urged people to avoid the area and are advising residents to stay indoors as the situation develops. According to local media, the shooter has not yet been apprehended.
The Sydney Morning Herald described the incident as suspected domestic violence, adding that authorities were still searching for a suspect and had deployed heavily armed tactical police.
Local media reported that the gunman fled the scene in a vehicle belonging to the local council. Lake Cargelligo, a small town in central New South Wales, is home to about 1,500 residents.
Thursday’s shooting comes just over a month after a terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach left 15 dead and nearly 40 injured.
The shooting also came just a day after Australia’s parliament passed a new anti-hate speech and gun control bill following the Bondi Beach attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the passage of the laws, saying: “In Bondi, the terrorists had hate in their hearts but guns in their hands.”
He highlighted the government’s response, adding: “We said we wanted to address this with urgency and unity, and we acted to deliver on both.”
