Two men arrested at Kempsey following series of random shootings across Mid-North Coast
Two men have been arrested after an intense manhunt following reports of at least four random shooting events across an 80km stretch of the state’s Mid-North Coast. Here’s the latest.
Mid-North Coast
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One man dead, three motorists randomly shot at and a police car peppered with bullets – it was an alleged crime spree spanning 80km, nearly 14 hours and it sparked an active shooter police operation which sent part of a popular Mid North-Coast town into temporary lockdown.
The huge manhunt for two gunmen ended on a Kempsey riverbank on Thursday afternoon, with a public tip-off helping heavily-armed police take two men aged 26 and 32 into custody without incident.
It was a peaceful ending to a high-pressure operation as multiple aircraft, at least three dog squads and the crack tactical operations unit and public and riot squad joined local officers in a large-scale manhunt.
Senior police would still only say there were “very strong lines of inquiry” linking the series of shootings and the suspicious death of a man found on the side of a road shortly after police were dramatically shot at as they attempted an arrest at dawn just outside of Port Macquarie.
Police believe it began with the shooting of a male motorist as he was driving along the M1 Motorway at Coopernook, north of Taree, about 1.40am.
He suffered a graze to his arm from the bullet and was treated by paramedics before being allowed to leave and give a statement to police.
About 4.40am, police were called to the M1 at The Hatch, near Port Macquarie, following reports of shots fired at another vehicle. No injuries were reported to police.
Some 35 minutes later, shots were fired at another vehicle on the M1 at nearby Kundabung. Again, no injuries were reported.
A short time later, shots were fired in the direction of a police vehicle on the M1 near Fernbank Creek Rd, Port Macquarie. No officers were injured but a police vehicle was struck.
A man’s body was also found next to Fernbank Creek Rd at Fernbank Bank and not far from where police were allegedly shot at.
Police have confirmed the man’s death was being treated as suspicious but said it was too early to speculate on the cause or whether it was definitely connected to the shootings.
“At this stage again, we are still processing all those crime scenes. We won‘t know until we process those crime scenes what the links are, however, that is one very strong line of inquiry – that they are all linked together,” Northern Region Commander Acting Assistant Commissioner Scott Tanner told reporters.
By 10.30am, a black Mercedes dual cab utility was found dumped near Port Macquarie’s Wayne Richards Park and the full-scale manhunt was underway.
Mr Tanner confirmed the situation was determined as an active shooter operation and statewide resources were pulled in.
Several Port Macquarie schools were locked down and residents were urged to stay inside before police made the dramatic riverbank arrest at Kempsey at 3.15pm.
No firearms have been seized but a large search of the riverbank area was still being conducted on Thursday night.
Both men taken into custody were expected to be charged.
Assistant Commissioner Tanner earlier told reporters: “It certainly suggests (with) the information we have at the moment that they were random incidents.”
“We can’t find any link at this stage between the victims or any potential POIs (persons of interest),” he said.
Officers were going door to door in the streets near the popular park where Fateh Chahal often takes his son Zovi to play.
He was turned away at about 9am when officers told him the park was closed. That was the first he had heard about the incident.
Damon Moroney said it was “quite scary to think that somebody who is quite dangerous is running around in such a safe little area”.
He has three children – two who were locked down in nearby Hastings Primary School.
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