WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two police officers were killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting at a property in rural Australia and the suspect was at large Tuesday, authorities said.
The shooting occurred in midmorning during a police visit to a property in Porepunkah, a town of just over 1,000 people in Victoria state 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Melbourne.
The gunman's whereabouts were unknown by late afternoon when authorities first confirmed the deaths. Law enforcement statements haven't said why 10 officers were present at the time of the shooting or other details.
Police urged residents to stay indoors and told the public not to travel to the area. Public buildings and the nearby airfield were closed.
The local school of just over 100 students was in lockdown for hours before students were allowed to go home. Porepunkah, known for its vineyards and scenic vistas, is a gateway to Victoria’s alpine tourist region.
Members of the national police union were shocked and saddened by “the callous murder of two Victorian police officers and the serious wounding of another," Police Federation of Australia president Kevin Morton said.
Victoria’s ambulance service confirmed that one person with serious lower body injuries was airlifted to a hospital in a stable condition.
Australian news outlets stationed in Porepunkah said a wide-ranging search was continuing hours after the shootings and television reports showed helicopters and police dogs in the area.
The last police officer to be shot and killed on duty in the country was in 2023 in South Australia state, according to the National Police Memorial website. In 2022, two officers were shot dead by Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland state.
The three shooters, conspiracy theorists who hated the police, were shot and killed by officers after a six-hour siege in the region of Wieambilla.
Such episodes prompt national news coverage because shooting deaths in Australia are rare.
A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws and made it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms.
Comments