Two Police Officers Killed, Another Shot in Rural Australian Town

Kokcha News Agency: Two police officers were killed and another seriously injured in a shooting at a property in Porepunkah, a small town in Victoria, Australia, located 320 kilometers northeast of Melbourne. The incident occurred mid-morning during a police visit to the property, and the gunman’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Authorities have not disclosed why 10 officers were present at the time of the shooting or provided further details about the incident. Residents were urged to stay indoors, and public buildings, including the local school, were placed in lockdown for hours before students were allowed to go home.

Kevin Morton, president of the Police Federation of Australia, expressed shock and sadness over “the callous murder of two Victorian police officers and the serious wounding of another.” The Victoria ambulance service confirmed that one person with serious lower body injuries was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition.

A wide-ranging search involving helicopters and police dogs continued hours after the shooting. The last police officer shot and killed on duty in Australia was in 2023 in South Australia, while in 2022, two officers were killed by Christian extremists in Queensland.

Such incidents are rare in Australia, where strict gun laws were implemented after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed by a lone gunman.