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A Queensland a man accused of shooting a woman in her driveway as she sat in a car with two children, had previously lost his gun license “as a result of his conduct”.
Ryan Jeffrey Cole, 31, is charged with the murder of Natalie Jane Frahm, 34, and the attempted murder of a 66-year-old man after he allegedly shot him as he came to her aid in Robb Pl south Mackay on Wednesday afternoon.
WATCH ABOVE VIDEO: A man accused of shooting a woman in a Queensland driveway has been identified.
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The two children in the car – both girls, aged 11 and 12 – ran to the older man – a neighbor – before Cole shot him in the arm and chest.
He was rushed to Mackay Hospital with non-fatal injuries.
“It’s a terrible situation. A life was lost in front of children through a truly horrific act of violence,” Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Golszewski said on Thursday.
The commissioner revealed that Cole lost his firearms license in 2021 “as a result of his conduct and other charges he has faced”, prompting an investigation into how he obtained what witnesses described as is a revolver-style gun that he allegedly used to commit a murder.
“We’re going to look very closely at not only what happened yesterday, but the background to that in terms of this person’s access to weapons and how he may have obtained that weapon,” Golszewski said.
“These are things that worry us a lot.
“There are a lot of licensed gun owners in Queensland and they are generally very responsible people.
“That’s why we have such a strict regime in terms of licensing and our ability to inspect and what we can do if people do the wrong thing.”
Police found no evidence that Cole had a history of mental health problems.
His contact with the police throughout his life has been “minimal,” Detective Emma Novosel said
“There have been no recent calls for service related to any disturbance or mental health issue,” she said Thursday.
Police declined to confirm whether Cole had access to other weapons.
No motive has been established for his alleged attack.
“The man and woman are not believed to have known each other; but preliminary investigations indicate that they lived on the same street,” Novosel said.
“Of course, at this stage the motive behind the attack on this woman and man is unknown, so there will be further inquiries that will be undertaken to determine what was bought into this incident.”
Cole was arrested after allegedly leaving the scene in a silver Mitsubishi Triton before police arrived, prompting an emergency lockdown of the area.
He was found driving on the Bruce Highway and arrested at a petrol station in nearby Paget at around 8pm.
He appeared briefly at Mackay Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He was remanded in custody as the case was adjourned until Friday.
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