Three Dead After Shooting in Rural Australian Town

The gunman was holed up in the town, local news media reported. The shooting happened on the day Australians were honoring the victims of the Bondi Beach massacre.The Australian and Aboriginal flags at half-staff for the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, on Thursday.Credit...Rick Rycroft/Associated PressJan. 22, 2026, 3:26 a.m. ETThree people were killed following a shooting on Thursday in a rural town in the Australian state of New South Wales, the police said.Emergency services were called to the town, Lake Cargelligo, about 379 miles west of Sydney, at 4:40 p.m. after reports of a shooting.“Three people — two women and a man — have died,” the New South Wales Police said in a statement.A fourth person, a man, was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Police urged the public to go indoors.A gunman is believed to be holed up in the town with a firearm, according to the Sydney-morning-herald" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="16317" data-entity-type="organization">Sydney Morning Herald.Australia is still reeling from a mass shooting last month, in which two gunmen targeted a Jewish community celebration, killing 15 people and wounding dozens of others.On Thursday, the country observed a national day of mourning to commemorate those who died in the massacre at Bondi Beach, which the authorities have deemed a terrorist attack.This is a developing story.Laura Chung is a Sydney-based reporter and researcher for The Times, covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.SKIP