A Queensland woman has been allegedly shot dead in her driveway while she sat in a car with two children.
Ryan Geoffrey Cole, who is a next-door neighbour to the woman but did not know her, has been charged with her murder and the attempted murder of a 66-year-old man who came to the woman’s aid on Robb Pl in South Mackay about 5.20pm on Wednesday.
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Natalie Jane Frahm, 34, and two girls, aged 11 and 12, were in the car in the driveway as they were about to leave the home to go to a sporting commitment, according to police.
Cole, 31, allegedly fatally shot Frahm with what witnesses have described as a revolver-style gun.
“Police will allege … the 34-year-old woman was parked in her driveway at a Robb Pl residence when the man approached her armed with a firearm,” Detective Acting Superintendent Emma Novosel said on Thursday.
“He shot her, fatally wounding the woman.
“It’s not believed that the man and woman were known to each other; however, preliminary investigations indicate they lived on the same street.
“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.”
The girls ran from the car to the home of another neighbour, a 66-year-old man, who raced to help the Frahm.
Cole then allegedly wounded him through the hand and chest with a single shot.
The older man was taken to Mackay Hospital in a serious condition, where he remains on Thursday morning.
The two girls were physically unharmed.
“It’s obviously a tragic incident where two young girls have witnessed a violent death,” Novosel said.
“I want to acknowledge and commend their bravery for actually managing to remove themselves from such a dangerous situation and raise the alarm.
“It’s incredibly brave and I even can’t begin to imagine the trauma they must be experiencing.”
Cole briefly faced Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday.
He was remanded in custody as the matter was adjourned to Friday.
Cole was arrested after allegedly driving from the scene in a silver Mitsubishi Triton before police arrived, sparking an emergency lockdown of the area.
He was found driving on the Bruce Hwy and was arrested at a service station at nearby Paget about 8pm.
Novosel said Cole has had “very minimal” interactions with police in the past, with “no recent calls for service in relation to that man, the deceased woman or any of the addresses concerned”.
He “had previously been a weapons licence holder”, she said.
She said the alleged offences were “unusual from the Mackay area”.
“This is a really unique situation,” the detective said.
“There are multiple crime scenes that have been established and investigations are ongoing.”