Man arrested following Cowra axe deaths
June 30, 2008, 9:49 pm (Yahoo7.com.au)
An elderly man suspected of killing his wife and two grandchildren in an axe attack that also left his police officer daughter with serious head injuries has been arrested.
A badly injured Senior Constable Shelley Walsh ran screaming to her neighbour's house in Brougham St at Cowra, in the NSW central west, shortly after 2pm (AEST) on Monday.
"The daughter was covered in blood and had a huge gash to the side of her head," neighbour Terry Lovett told AAP.
John Walsh, 69, went on the run before being arrested at about 8.15pm (AEST) on Monday night at Hay, in the NSW south-west.
He was arrested without incident while returning to his motel on the Great Western Highway, following a tip-off from the motel's owner.
It's not known if he was armed at the time of the arrest.
The children's father, who lives on the north coast of NSW, had been notified of the tragedy, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police were "certainly concerned about his welfare because he has lost two children today".
He also said the incident's impact on the NSW Police Force had been "tremendous".
"This is probably one of the worst days in the history of the police family in NSW," Mr Scipione said.
Mr Lovett described his elderly neighbors as a quiet, retired couple who moved to town about 10 years ago from Sydney.
"Then a few years ago his son committed suicide ... and then after that, we did notice a bit of change in him. He was a bit quiet and didn't socialize much," he added.
"The only thing I can imagine there is, that I got the impression that he may have felt a bit burdened by looking after his grandkids."
The curtains were drawn at the modest weatherboard house, opposite the Cowra Croquet Club, as forensic officers scoured the crime scene.
Dozens of officers wearing bulletproof vests had earlier descended on the quiet street with their guns drawn.
The mayor of Cowra Council, Bruce Miller, said his close-knit community of 10,000 was reeling.
"We do all look out for each other and any incident that affects children is especially harsh," he said.
It's the second family tragedy in a week. Last Friday, the bodies of Gary Bell and his three children, 18-month-old Bon, five-year-old Maddie and seven-year-old Jack, were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning on Friday inside a four-wheel drive on a remote property near Pericoe in southern NSW, in a murder-suicide.
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Gila.. diam" menghanyutkan.. di NSW banyak pembunuhan.. hiks....
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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