Updated ,first published
Warning: This story contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have died.
Lake Cargelligo: Police have widened the search for accused triple murderer Julian Ingram and are exploring the possibility associates may be helping him evade authorities.
Ingram, 37, has been on the run since Thursday afternoon, after he allegedly shot and killed his heavily pregnant former partner Sophie Quinn, 24, and her friend, John Harris, 32, while they drove along Bokhara Street in Lake Cargelligo in the NSW Central West about 4.10pm.
Ingram then drove to Walker Street, where he is alleged to have shot and killed Sophie’s aunt, Nerida Quinn, 50, and shot and seriously injured 19-year-old Kaleb Macqueen. Macqueen remains in a Canberra hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Ingram, a gardener at Lachlan Shire Council, was last seen leaving Lake Cargelligo in a council ute. Police are appealing for information to locate the ute, a Ford Ranger with registration DM-07-GZ, council signage, a metal tray back, high visibility markings on the side and an emergency light bar on the roof. Police are exploring the possibility Ingram may have dumped the ute and switched vehicles.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andy Holland said police had cleared several properties overnight Friday and would expand the search area over the weekend. Up to 100 officers, including local police and members of the Tactical Operations Unit, are searching for Ingram.
Ingram is regarded as an experienced bushman able to survive long stretches in remote areas with limited resources.
“Mr Ingram has worked in the area for a long time. He was known to a lot of people in the area,” Holland said.
“He could be accessing people, and we’re obviously making contact with known associates, trying to cut down those possibilities … there is the possibility that people are assisting him.”
Holland said it was unclear what type of firearm Ingram, who has never held a gun licence in NSW, could be carrying. Several empty shotgun shells could be seen on Bokhara Street near where Sophie Quinn and Harris were shot dead. It was unclear how Ingram had acquired the weapon, Holland said.
Police had released Ingram on bail in November after the 37-year-old allegedly assaulted Sophie Quinn around the time the pair broke up. Three days later, an interim apprehended domestic violence order was put in place to protect the 24-year-old from Ingram.
Holland said Ingram had complied with the order and his bail conditions, which required him to report to Lake Cargelligo police station daily. Ingram reported to police at 8.12am on Thursday, Holland said. Ingram’s bail conditions did not require him to be electronically monitored.
Holland said Lake Cargelligo residents were free to leave their homes, but urged them to exercise “extreme caution” and to not approach Ingram.
“He is still armed, we believe, and there is a possibility that they could come across him,” Holland said.
“This [alleged] offender, we can’t tell what his actions are going to be in the future, what he’s going to do next.”
Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, is described by police as being Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 165cm to 170cm tall, of a medium build with short dark hair and brown eyes.
“There is a possibility he has switched vehicles,” Holland said.
“We would like to know the location of the original vehicle – the council vehicle – and again, whether it’s been dumped somewhere, whether it’s been hidden in a shed somewhere,” Holland said.
Sophie’s mother, Cathy Quinn, told this masthead that her daughter was gentle, loving and caring and that she had “not a mean bone in her”. She loved fishing, pig hunting and her dogs, Cathy said.
“[She was] just a fun girl to be around,” she said at the Quinn family’s home on Friday.
She said the 24-year-old – her “black swan” – was due to give birth to a son in March. The child was to be named after Quinn’s father Troy, who died when she was two years old.
The streets where the shootings occurred were reopened by Saturday morning. Three bunches of flowers had been left by the roadside where Sophie Quinn and Harris were killed.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732.
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