A woman who was shot dead through a car window in the Queensland city of Mackay has been identified as Natalie Frahm, 34.
Ryan Geoffrey Cole, 31, has been charged with murder over the death of Frahm as well as attempted murder of 66-year-old James McGill, who was shot as he came to the young woman’s aid in Robb Pl, South Mackay on Wednesday afternoon.
Two young girls who were also in the car had run toward McGill — a neighbour of Frahm — to seek help.
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Cole allegedly shot him through the hand and chest, police said.
McGill was rushed to Mackay Base Hospital with non-fatal injuries. He remains there in a serious but stable condition.
On Friday, reporter Georgia Costi told Sunrise viewers Frahm is being remembered as a loving member of the community.
“This senseless crime has the community in Mackay and around Queensland searching for answers,” Costi said.
“We also know she was very passionate about Thai boxing. Her gym, which she did competitions and competed at, has paid tribute to her, saying she had an infectious smile and was always ready to help others.
“We are learning more about her accused killer, Ryan Cole, a 31-year-old. Police say he did not know [Frahm] and instead lived on her street.
“Police have now also revealed that three years ago, his gun licence was revoked and 11 weapons were taken away from him.
“A main part of this investigation will now be about how he was allegedly able to illegally obtain weapons.
“We also understand he has not been cooperating with police, so it may be some time before we get the answers that everyone is desperately searching for.”
Cole is accused of driving away, sparking an emergency lockdown of the area and a police manhunt.
He was arrested outside a nearby service station hours later.
Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski revealed Cole lost his firearm’s licence in 2021, sparking an investigation into how he had acquired what witnesses described as a revolver-style gun.
“We will look really closely not only at what occurred yesterday, but the lead-up to that in terms of this person’s access to weapons and how he might have got that weapon,” Gollschewski said.
“These are things that concern us greatly.
“There are many licensed weapons holders in Queensland and, by and large, they’re very responsible people. That’s why we have such a strict regime in terms of licensing and our ability to inspect, and what we can do if people do the wrong thing.”
Police had not found any evidence of Cole having a history of mental health problems and his contact with police throughout his life had been “minimal”, Detective Acting Superintendent Emma Novosel said.
“There’d been no recent calls for service in relation to any sort of disturbance or any mental health issue,” she said on Thursday.
No motive for his alleged attack has been established.
“It’s not believed that the man and woman were known to each other, however, preliminary investigations indicate they lived on the same street,” Novosel said.
“Certainly at this stage, the motives behind the attack on this woman and man are unknown, so there’ll be further investigations that are undertaken to determine what’s bought about this incident.”
Cole briefly faced Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday.
He was remanded in custody as the matter was adjourned to Friday.