Seven-hour gun rampage in Australia ends as gunman shoots himself in stolen car
A seven-hour rampage in Western Australia ended with the gunman turning the firearm on himself in a stolen car, police have said.
The man shot at five people in a Mitsubishi Triton ute on the Albany Highway in North Bannister at 5.20pm on Saturday, then hijacked another vehicle and stalked a female driver. The shooting spree ended seven hours later, when he shot himself and his body was found in a stolen vehicle.
According to reports, the Triton had pulled over to help the occupants of a red Holden Commodore which appeared to have crashed. But when one of the Good Samaritans ran towards the Commodore, a man emerged from the bushes at the side of the road, pointing a gun towards the occupants of the Triton.
WA Police said the driver of the Triton tried to drive away but the gunman shot into the passenger window, "with the firearm projectiles travelling through the front cab area and exiting through the driver's side window." The driver then went back to allow the passenger who had got out to help the other car, and at that point the gunman shot at the vehicle again, hitting it - but nobody was injured.
A police spokeswoman said: "As the Triton utility came back into the area, the male offender discharged a second round into the rear of the utility. None of the occupants of the vehicle were injured."
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Passengers in the red Commodore then stopped another vehicle, a gold Volvo BZ station wagon, that also stopped at the side of the road to help. At that point, the Volvo occupants also had the gun pointed at them before he hijacked the car and fled, with a woman in the vehicle.
At 10.30pm on Saturday, police received another report of a woman being followed by a man in the town of Merredin and pointing a firearm towards her. At around 11pm, the gold Volvo was seen by cops at a nearby service station, but officers said the driver "fled at speed" when he saw the police.
As he escaped, WA Police advised residents to remain indoors and secure their homes. Around 45 minutes later, a 24-year-old woman in the stolen Volvo got out of the car and was arrested, reports the Daily Mail. A passenger in another vehicle then reported seeing a man in an "out of control car" pointing a "rifle" in his mouth. Officers said the stolen car finally stopped at 12.05am on Great Eastern Highway in Merredin and when police approached the vehicle, they found the man dead.
A police spokeswoman said: "Police approached the vehicle and found the male driver unconscious and unresponsive with an apparent self-inflicted injury to his head. They were unable to revive the man, who has not been formally identified." Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information has been asked to get in touch with the police.
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