Family of seven dead after mass shooting in rural Australia
A MOTHER and her four children were among seven people found dead at a rural home in Western Australia in one of the worst mass shootings in the nation’s history.
Katrina Miles and her children, aged from eight to 13, were found dead at the home of Peter and Cynda Miles, her parents, who were also named locally as victims.
All seven lived on the 30-acre property at Osmington, a small town about 160 miles south of Perth in the popular tourist region of Margaret River, known for its wineries and resorts. The four children were schooled at home.
Chris Dawson, the state’s police commissioner, said the shooting was “horrific” but confirmed they were not looking for suspects, suggesting it might have been a murder-suicide.
Meg Janes, a 68-year-old local resident, said she heard a series of gunshots early in the morning and assumed that someone was shooting kangaroos. The shots, she said, had “quite a long gap between them”.
“Something woke me up around 4am,” she told the Perthnow website. “I heard quite a few gunshots and at the time I didn’t take much notice of it … It wasn’t until I saw the police that I thought, ‘Hang on a minute’.”
Ms Janes said of the family: “We’d swap plants and seedlings from time to time. They’re really nice people … It’s a huge shock for everyone.”
Pamela Townshend, the president of the local Margaret River-augusta shire, said the family was well-known in the tight-knit community. “Everyone is totally shocked. It is just so sad,” she said.