Frank Smith’s family want closure after shooting mystery
An entire community has been left devastated after a beloved grandfather died in mysterious circumstances in central NSW. Now his family have made a plea for closure as police release new vision of a vehicle which could hold the key to solving the mystery.
Dubbo News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Dubbo News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- ‘Get f***ked’: Man pulls driver out of taxi after big night out
- Father allegedly had detonation cord, homemade gun on property
- Cowboys player caught with coke, ammunition while on drug run
The family of a “good bloke” who was allegedly shot in broad daylight and later died say they’re desperate for closure and want anyone with answers about what happened to come forward.
Popular Wellington local Frank Smith was shot in the abdomen on the morning of April 27.
The local handyman stumbled into a yard near where he was shot and a neighbour took him to Wellington Hospital where he died.
Police believe Mr Smith, 48, was murdered and his death has sent shockwaves through the Wellington community.
Herb Smith, Dreamtime Tukka founder and chief executive, said he couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would want to harm his brother, who was a former shearer and father of three.
“It’s just a total mystery,” he said.
“Frank was a good bloke, he was well liked and lots of people in the Wellington community liked him simply because of his nature and personality.
“It was quite humbling after his passing, that people from both the Aboriginal community and non-Aboriginal community came up and said they were quite shocked about what happened to him and made comments about how he was a really nice bloke, was always polite and was well liked.”
Mr Smith’s grandchildren are among those who miss him most of all.
“Frank’s grandchildren were the apple of his eye, he absolutely adored the time that he was able to spend with them,” Herb Smith said.
“Everyone misses him.
“It’s devastating for all of us, I think this sort of thing occurring is devastating for the community.”
He said the mysterious circumstances surrounding Mr Smith’s death had put the Wellington community on high alert.
“We’re certainly concerned that there’s somebody within our community that has committed a heinous offence and is still out there.
“Think about the fact that it could have been your brother that it happened to and you would want people to come forward and give information.
“Frank needs justice and closure for the family. We’re hoping that the goodwill of people, and people who want to see justice done and the person who was responsible brought to justice, will come forward and say something.”
Police believe the occupants of a black 2001 Holden Rodeo ute with black and white sides, seen near Thornton Street in Wellington shortly after Mr Smith was shot, could help solve the mystery.
Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said he believed more than one person was involved in Mr Smith’s death.
“This is an outrageous crime to happen in the middle of Wellington, in a residential street in the middle of the day,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
“I think for this to be kept secret for this amount of time, there’s more than one person involved and I think there’s people out there that would know what happened either before the shooting, during the shooting or after the shooting that would have evidence or information that would assist detectives.
“We’ve obtained hundreds of statements from people that know Frank, his family, friends, his associates and other witnesses. We still need that vital bit of information that may lead us to identify those responsible and bring them before the court.”
Mr Smith’s death did not appear to be linked to the execution style killing of Bandidos bikie boss Shane De Britt in January, Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
“It’s a close-knit community, there’s been a lot going on there but I know there’s more good people there than bad people,” he said.
Anyone with dashcam footage from Thornton Street in Wellington between 8am and 11am on April 27, or information about the Holden ute, is urged to contact police immediately via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.