Wind farm contractors released from Bowen police station after Bogie mass shooting

Two workers caught up in a horror mass shooting over property lines that left three family members dead and a fourth seriously injured have been released. Here’s what we know so far.

Two wind farmer contractors caught up in a horror mass shooting over property lines that left three family members dead and a fourth seriously injured in remote Queensland have been released.

The pair was taken into the Bowen Police Station accompanied by two officers where they remained for about an hour before being released.

The men were working for major renewable energy developer, Eupron.

A spokeswoman for Epuron said a project team was in the area moving some equipment.

“We are grateful they are safe and understand they have been assisting local police with any information they can provide,” she said.

When asked, the pair declined to talk about the shooting with one saying “I don’t want to speak”.

He said they wanted to “check out Bowen”.

It is understood one man, the alleged gunman, remains in police custody.

Whitsunday Councillor Mike Brunker said council would be speaking with police about ongoing issues in relation to the property.

This publication asked if there had been any boundary issue complaints involving the previous owner of the Sutherland Road property at the heart of the matter.

There are no development applications associated with any of the properties involved, Whitsunday Regional Council data shows.

“We will be speaking to police about that, about different issues. Obviously complaints are confidential,” he said.

“If council is involved we just say it’s a civil matter between property owners and you’ve got to go to court and there’ll be a land court or judge who’ll sort that out.

“If it’s over a property boundary dispute you can’t just go and kill three people. That’s tragic.

“In the 1800s people were shot over gold claim. If you went on the wrong claim you got shot and that was the Wild West.

“This day and age you might have a punch-up at a pub but certainly not to this extreme.

“This is an extreme event and hopefully an absolutely isolated event.”

Cr Brunker said the triple shooting was “absolutely tragic”.

“Something you wouldn’t expect in Bowen or Collinsville,” he said.

When asked if property boundary disputes were common given the terrain at Bogie which makes fence lines almost impossible, Mr Brunker said it was not uncommon for there to be issues over boundaries.

He said if there was a dispute between graziers across Australia “it’s usually over cattle or boundaries”.

“If that’s part of the issue… I’m sure the police will sort through that,” he said.

He said the first 20-30km out at Bogie were just rural or residential properties, “lifestyle blocks”.

“And then you get into the bigger grazing areas,” he said, adding they “all know each other”.

The community was in lock down until late Thursday night when the alleged shooter was taken into police custody.

Cr Brunker said the capture was “great news”.

“(For) those people living along that road (it would be) a huge relief,” he said.

“Particularly yesterday and last night where the news was the shooter was at large,” he said, praising the police.

“For the police to go in blind like that it’s a credit to them.”

Bogie, Qld, off Bowen. Picture: Heidi Petith