Three adults and four children have been found dead in an apparent mass shooting in Western Australia. The event occurred at a rural property in Osmington, near Margaret River.
Speaking at a press briefing, WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson detailed that police were called to the property at 5.15AM this morning, where they found two adult bodies outside a building and the remaining victims inside.Commissioner Dawson said: "It appears that gunshot wounds are there but I don't want to go further than that, as two firearms have been located at the scene."
While he wouldn’t speculate on the motivation behind the crime, he did say it appeared to be a murder-suicide and that there was no concern over wider public safety. The victims were not able to be named as next of kin were still being contacted, but the commissioner said they appeared to be residents of the property.Perth's special homicide squad and forensic crime scene units have been sent to the scene. The police chaplain has also been called out to support emergency workers.
"Look, this is a horrific tragedy for any person involved, and clearly [for] officers and other first responders attending these sorts of scenes, it is very tragic," Commissioner Dawson said.The incident is the worst Australian mass shooting since 35 people died and 23 were seriously injured in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
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