At least five people have been killed and others have been injured in a mass shooting in Australia.
A gunman reportedly entered the Palms Motel, located in an inner suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, just before 6pm local time on June 4 and opened fire in a number of rooms with a pump-action shotgun before fleeing the scene.
Police put parts of the city into lockdown while the shooter remained at large. He was described by police as a 45-year-old Caucasian man wearing high-vis workwear, around 195cm tall and driving a white Toyota Hilux ute.
One man has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Police believe he was acting alone and are not looking for any more suspects, however News.com.au report authorities are still urging people to stay inside.
According to ABC News, NT Health have said two other victims are at the Royal Darwin Hospital in a stable condition.
Speaking to ABC News, witness Leah Potter described how a woman was shot in the legs before being taken away in an ambulance.
She explained:
I was in the carpark [of a neighbouring hotel] when I heard what I thought were fireworks going off, really loud cracking, banging fireworks.
And then a man came running with a woman in his arms from next door which is the Palms Motel, which is the motel next to my motel, and he just dropped her on the footpath right in front of us.
Potter continued:
I ran and got some towels and wrapped up her legs, she had little holes all in her skin on both her legs and she was bleeding everywhere.
The boyfriend said that this man had arrived at their front door and shot through the front door, shot her through the front door.
Another witness, John Rose, described the gunman as ‘calm’ as he made his way through the motel.
He told ABC News:
He shot up all the rooms and he went to every room looking for somebody and he shot them all up, then we saw him rush out, jump into his Toyota pick-up, and rush off.
Once he left we went in and found one gentleman … we pulled him out.
This lady turned up and started screaming, and we didn’t realise there was another person in there… apparently he’s dead, he’s been shot.
News.com.au report police are treating the motel as the main crime scene, but they have also cordoned off a social club less than a mile away.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to story@unilad.com.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.