Margaret River shooting: Seven dead including four children in Australia's worst gun attack in decades - Independent

May 11, 2018

Margaret River shooting: Seven dead including four children in Australia's worst gun attack in decades
'This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our southwest'

Shehab Khan @shehabkhan
Four children are among seven people found dead at a rural property Katrina Miles/Facebook
Seven people have died, including four children, in what is being described as the worst mass shooting in Australia in 24 years.

Katrina Miles, her four children, aged eight to 13, and their grandparents, were found at a property at the rural village of Osmington, Western Australia state Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said.

Two guns were also found at the property, but police declined to comment on the possibility of murder-suicide.

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Ms Miles and her children had apparently moved to the property, owned by her parents Cynda and Peter Miles, about three years ago.

She had home-schooled her three boys and her daughter at their farm.

Ms Miles has been described by friends as a devoted mother and someone who “worked tirelessly to provide them with everything they needed”.

“I always admired her for her strength. The kids were kind, gentle, smart and beautiful children,” a friend told The Australian.

Authorities have said they are not looking for a suspect.

“Police are currently responding to what I can only describe as a horrific incident,” Mr Dawson said.

“This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our southwest.”

Police were attempting to make contact with victims’ relatives, and have not released the names or ages of the dead.

Philip Alpers, a Sydney University gun policy analyst, said the tragedy appeared to be the worst mass shooting in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 in Tasmania state in 1996, prompting the nation to introduce tough gun controls.

Australia’s gun laws are widely acclaimed as a success, with supporters including former US president Barack Obama saying Australia has not had a single mass shooting since they were implemented.

The generally accepted definition of a mass shooting – four deaths excluding the shooter in a single event – has been met only once in Australia since then, when a farmer shot his wife and three children before killing himself in 2014.

Farmers are allowed to own guns under Australian law because they have a legitimate need to use them to kill feral pests and predators or sick or injured livestock.

But automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns are banned.

Osmington is a collection of a few streets, farms, horse studs, vacation accommodation and vineyards supplying the premium winemaking district known as Margaret River.

Samantha Lee, chair of the Gun Control Australia lobby group, said rural areas were over-represented in Australian gun deaths, including suicides.

“Regional and rural areas are particularly vulnerable to these sorts of tragedies, because of the combination of isolation, sometimes mental or financial hardship and easy access to firearms,” Ms Less said in a statement.

“Although the details of this tragedy are yet to come to light, Australia has a tragic history of higher rate of gun deaths in rural areas,” she added.

Agencies contributed to this report