The youngest victim of an alleged triple murder was the father of a newborn baby boy.
Graham Tighe, 35, was one of three people allegedly fatally shot at a property in the central Queensland town of Bogie on Thursday.
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As details of the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting continue to emerge, The Courier-Mail reports Tighe leaves behind a three-week-old son.
It reports that he only got to spend a few days with the child before his death.
Tighe, his mother Maree Schwarz, 59, and her husband Merv, 71, all died at the scene. Graham’s brother Ross survived and raised the alarm.
A 59-year-old neighbor has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, and will face court Monday.
7NEWS understands police will allege that the gunman invited them to meet up at his property amid a dispute over a boundary line.
The 59-year-old man – who was also charged with one count of attempted murder – will appear in Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday.
The charges come as new tragic details emerge that Graham’s partner Lucy had only recently given birth.
Graham’s uncle, Greg Austen, told 7NEWS the father had only spent a few days with the newborn before the baby was taken to Brisbane to visit Lucy’s mother.
“It’s just devastating shock that things can happen so quickly in the blink of an eye and ruin so many lives so quickly,” he said.
7NEWS understands police will allege the farming family was invited to meet with their neighbor at the edge of his Bogie property, 45 minutes away.
Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt said the property where the shooting allegedly took place was “tens of thousands of acres”.
“It’s actually a 45-minute drive between the neighbours,” he said.
“At the crime scene, which is at the front gate of one of the premises, it is a 3km drive between the gate and the house at that location.”
Armitt said because Ross had been so far from the crime scene, and it was unclear whether the alleged gunman was still at large, police were cautious in their approach to the property.
“At that time, not knowing whether the armed offender was present or not, putting their lives in grave danger, especially when the report was that the people had been shot with a rifle,” Armitt said.
“So that was slow and meticulous work and extremely brave of the officers who were involved at that time.”
Ross was initially in a critical condition but since undergoing multiple emergency surgeries is now reported as serious but stable.
“He was able to speak to us overnight and provide us details of what occurred at the incident yesterday morning,” Armitt said.
“And detectives will be speaking to him again this morning.”
Community in shock
Merv and Maree are being remembered as a “lovely, hardworking” family as loved ones try to make sense of the tragedy.
“We’re lucky we still have Ross with us,” Austen told 7NEWS.
“To see the trauma that would have unfolded in front of him and then be able to go that far to raise the alarm, it’s a mighty effort.”
Graham leaves behind two young children, with partner Lucy stuck in Brisbane, unable to fly on commercial airlines as she gave birth a few weeks ago.
7NEWS understands after desperate efforts from family and friends, a charity will put Lucy and her children on a charter flight home.
Whitsunday Regional councilor Jan Clifford said the tight-knit community would be devastated.
“To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened in the Whitsunday region before,” Clifford said.
“We are all deeply saddened by the tragedy.”
Clifford said the incident was bound to have a big effect on the tiny community of Bogie, which has a population of 207 according to the latest census data.
“It’s a little village. Everyone will know everyone… It’s just awful.”
One woman working in nearby Collinsville said the entire community was in shock.
“The whole town is a bit rattled that something like that could happen here,” she told AAP.
“It’s a small town, everyone knows everyone.”
– with APA
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