A quiet rural town in New South Wales, Australia, was shattered on January 22, 2026, when a shooting at a residential address left three people dead and one man seriously wounded. Emergency services rushed to Lake Cargelligo—a remote community of about 1,500 residents located roughly 600 km west of Sydney—following reports of gunfire. Police confirmed that two women and one man were pronounced dead at the scene, while the injured man was airlifted or transported to hospital in serious but stable condition.

The shooter or shooters remain at large, prompting an intensive manhunt by New South Wales Police. Authorities issued geo-targeted emergency text alerts urging residents to stay indoors, avoid the area, and report any suspicious activity. Locals described chaos in the small township, with police cars, ambulances, and sirens dominating the usually peaceful two-main-street community. One resident told The Daily Telegraph that the town was “all over” with emergency vehicles and the sound of sirens echoing through the streets.

Local MP Roy Butler called the incident “tragic news” for the tight-knit rural area, expressing deep sympathy for the victims’ families while noting that the situation was still unfolding with limited details available. The shooting has stunned the region, which rarely sees violent crime of this scale.

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The tragedy occurs against the backdrop of Australia’s National Day of Mourning for the December 14, 2025, mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, where 15 people were killed by two gunmen reportedly inspired by the Islamic State group—the deadliest mass shooting in the country since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

Police have not yet released details on the motive, relationships between the victims, or any suspect descriptions, but investigations are ongoing with a major crime scene secured in Lake Cargelligo.

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