Three people are dead and a man has been arrested after a four-hour siege in Wedderburn on Wednesday.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
The arrested man's wife was present at the time and is also helping police with their inquiries.
Superintendent Graham Kent from Western Victoria addressed the media at 12.40am to confirm the three fatalities near Wedderburn, 75 kilometres north-west of Bendigo.
The gender and age of the victims are unknown, but it is believed they live in the area.
Superintendent Kent said Wedderburn police were called to a neighbourhood dispute at 8.20pm and located the body of one person.
A four-hour siege between police and the accused followed.
"There were gunshots when police arrived and after a risk assessment, they withdrew from the scene," he said. "The suspect then contacted the police on the phone and we were aware of other firearms being used."
He said police then arranged a cordoned off scene and negotiated with the accused to organise a surrender plan.
"After several hours, just before midnight, the suspect was arrested," he said. "Police then searched a nearby property where two more deceased people were located."
Superintendent Kent said the victims all had gunshot wounds but were yet to be identified.
"It's a very tragic situation and especially in such a small community - this will impact a lot of people."
The accused has been transported to Bendigo Police Station and is cooperating with police after handing himself in.
Police could not confirm how many members had been involved in the incident, but homicide detectives, local and specialist police and the dog squad attended the scene.
"We are now reaching out for information from the public and are dealing with a very complex scene," Superintendent Kent said.
He said the large area the incident took place in added to the complexity of the matter.
"The first shots occurred in an open space and then the second incident took place at a reasonable distance away, which was connected by roadways."
The victims and accused were "known to each other to a point", he said.
The accused's wife was present during the incident.
"She is okay and no other officers have been injured in the incident," he said.
"We were presented with a very dynamic situation and carried out a thorough risk assessment.
"The decision to withdraw at that time has kept further community members and our officers safe."
Source: Bendigo Advertiser
