Australia Reels from Worst Mass Shooting in Over 20 Years

At least four people were in killed in the first mass shooting Australia has seen since 1996.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Jun 05, 2019

At least four people were killed and several more injured in the city of Darwin, Australia when a gunman went on a rampage with a pump-action shotgun late Tuesday night in several locations, according to police.

The suspect was apprehended soon after the shooting spree, and was identified as a 45-year-old local who was on parole at the time.

While the motive for the attack is currently unknown, police say they do not believe it was terror-related. The suspect, according to police, might have been looking for a specific person. 

The incident marks the worst mass shooting for Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which resulted in the country overhauling its gun laws. Since the 1996 massacre, the worst shooting in the country had been an incident last year in which a grandfather had killed his entire family and himself.

Police confirmed that the weapon, a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, "may have been stolen as far back as 1997." Authorities will now spend time trying to understand how the shooter acquired his weapon and any motivations that he might have had for the attack. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the incident as a "terrible act of violence" and said his thoughts were with citizens of the Northern Territory "and the tight-knit community in Darwin."