By Mathew Dunckley, Marta Pascual Juanola and Adam Cooper
A man has faced court charged with murdering two people after a shooting in the Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc on Thursday night, which a witness said involved “bad blood” among a group of elderly people.
Rodney John Lee, 73, of Mordialloc, appeared in an online hearing before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday evening, charged with two counts of murder, conduct endangering life and threatening to assault police.
Police said emergency services were called to McDonald Street about 9.10pm after reports of gunshots. Two people were treated for critical injuries, but both died at the scene.
After a search of the area, Mr Lee was taken into custody and later charged by police. Investigators are not looking for anyone else over the incident.
Mr Lee sat at a table in custody with his arms crossed during a short court hearing, as his lawyer told magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz the accused man took a range of medications for various health problems. This was Mr Lee’s first time in custody, lawyer Lachlan Hocking said.
The names of the two people killed were redacted from court documents. Charge sheets allege Mr Lee fired a shotgun twice into an apartment.
Ms Mykytowycz remanded Mr Lee in custody to next appear before court on May 6.
A witness to the shooting, Adam, said he shook the hands of one of the victims only seconds before he was shot.
After visiting his mother in an adjoining apartment complex, Adam said he passed a group of elderly people and wished them a happy new year before getting into his car.
“I came down the stairs, yeah, just said ‘happy new year, good to see youse all, see you later’, shook a couple of their hands ... by the time I was in my car, I just close the door and I hear a gunshot immediately,” he recalled.
“I look left and one of the elderly guys there was just reloading his rifle.”
Adam said he drove to a nearby police station to raise the alarm before returning to the scene.
“I drove back, and I was trying to lure him back, so I can run him over to be honest because there was elderly people there, they were all scared. There [were] another two shots after that,” he said.
“And about a minute or two after that. That’s when all the police started rocking up.”
Adam said he did not know what prompted the shooting but that he was aware of previous “bad blood” between those involved.
“It was a very, very weird scenario. One of the guys that has passed I literally just shook his hand 10 seconds before he passed away,” he said.
“He’s [an] older man, looks like he’s in his 70s, and you wouldn’t pick it. I didn’t pick it seven seconds before it happened.”
Adam said his actions were driven by a concern for his mother.
“I’m pretty staunch and tough; I was just more concerned about my mum,” he said.
“I came back to the scene because my mum lives there.
“I tried to lure him out, just trying to run him over to be honest because there’s so many elderly people, and then instantly I hear another shot when I was there. And then see him reloading again.
“And then when I’m trying to call him out, he looks at me [but] wouldn’t come walk around the side of the building ... and then I hear another shot. I called my mum because she lives in the complex. I just said turn off your lights, don’t come out.”
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