The grandmother of one of the victims caught up in the crossfire of a horrific shooting in an outback town has revealed the heartbreaking moment she found out her grandson had been shot, just metres from her house.
Julian Ingram, 37, allegedly gunned down his ex Sophie Quinn, 25, in a black Suzuki hatchback, alongside her new boyfriend John Harris, 32 on Bokhara Street in Lake Cargelligo, 600km west of Sydney on Thursday.
Sophie, who separated from Ingram last year and was in a relationship with Mr Harris at the time of her death, was due to give birth in March to a baby boy named Troy.
Ingram then allegedly drove in a local council car to the Walker Street home of Sophie’s aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, where he allegedly shot her dead and seriously injured her 19‑year‑old neighbour, Kaleb Macqueen.
Kaleb remains in a Canberra hospital and is expected to survive.
He lives on and off with his grandmother Sandra Little, who lives across the street from Nerida.
During a Daily Mail exclusive interview at her home on Saturday, Ms Little revealed that Kaleb was innocently caught in the crossfire, and had been across the road working on a vehicle with Ms Quinn’s son.
She said Kaleb ran for his life, and was hit in the wrist by a bullet. He then rang Ms Little and said, ‘Grandma, I’ve been shot!’
Ms Little alleged that Ingram was armed with a shotgun, and that Kaleb had described seeing blue shell casings.
Sandra Little and Riley Macqueen, relatives of shooting victim Kaleb Macqueen broke their silence to Daily Mail on Saturday
Nerida Quinn’s devastated husband was seen outside his home on Saturday
Ms Little was inside her home across the street at the time, with Kaleb’s 16-year-old brother Riley, who was playing video games.
When asked if she had a message for Ingram, she grimly responded, ‘Nothing you’d be allowed to print’.
Fears continue around the town that Ingram, allegedly armed and very dangerous, may return.
‘I’ve been sleeping with all my windows closed,’ Ms Little admitted.
Kaleb’s younger brother Riley revealed he did work experience with his brother’s alleged shooter on the local council.
‘He was alright, but I think he was trying to put on an act,’ he said.
‘I’m just happy (my brother) is alive. He is lucky to be alive.’
On Saturday, Nerida’s devastated husband also broke cover, but walked away when approached by a reporter. Neighbours confirmed he was the deceased woman’s husband.
Nerida Quinn, pictured left with her daughter, was killed in the shooting
Kaleb Macqueen, 19, remains in a Canberra hospital
Nerida’s husband walked away when a reporter approached a group he was standing with
Ingram has been on the run since the alleged murders, with about 100 police officers searching for him across the region.
On Saturday, a tactical police BearCat vehicle and AirPol helicopter were spotted scouring the region for Ingram, who police said was able to survive in the bush.
A close friend of Ingram’s, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that along with being a pig hunter and gardener, he was also a tree-feller who ‘knows his way around the bush’.
As temperatures in the state’s central-west soared beyond 40C on Saturday, the friend said that Ingram would be ‘fine’ if he was hiding in the bush.
On Saturday morning, police revealed they were widening their search for Ingram, and refused to rule out that he may be receiving help.
‘We attended two premises in Euabalong last night and unfortunately, were unable to locate the offender,’ NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters.
‘At this point, our area is widening, and we are looking at other locations in the broader districts from information supplied to police.’
Police haven’t ruled out the theory that Ingram could be receiving assistance to remain on the run.
‘That’s one of the avenues of our investigation,’ Holland said.
‘As we said before, Mr Ingram has worked in the area for a long time.
‘He was known to a lot of people in the area, and he’s well known among the community.
‘It is possible he is seeking help from people he knows, and we’re making contact with known associates, trying to cut down those possibilities.
‘But I can’t confirm whether he has access to anyone else, but there is the possibility that people are assisting him to obviously avoid police apprehension.’
He added that the locals have been ‘fantastic’ in their assistance with ongoing police investigations.
‘We’ve got multiple lines of inquiry coming through,’ Holland said.
Police haven’t ruled out that Julian Ingram could be receiving help to remain in hiding
Mum-to-be Sophie Quinn, 25, was allegedly murdered by Julian Ingram on Thursday
Locals have laid flowers on Bokhara Street, where Sophie Quinn and her new boyfriend John Harris were shot
He reiterated that Lake Cargelligo is not in lockdown and that locals are free to move about the town.
‘They just need to use extreme caution with the knowledge in the back of their minds that this offender is still on the loose,’ Holland said.
‘He is still armed we believe, and that there is a possibility they could come across him.’
Ingram is described as between 165cm and 170cm tall, with a medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
It comes as police released photos of the vehicle Ingram was last seen driving – a Ford Ranger ute with NSW registration DM-07-GZ, which has council signage, a metal tray back, high-visibility side markings and an emergency light bar on the roof.
Police haven’t ruled out the possibility that Ingram may have since switched vehicles.
Anyone who sees Ingram is urged not to approach him and to contact Triple Zero immediately.
It comes after it was revealed that Ingram appeared at Lake Cargelligo Local Court on December 3 over allegations he stalked, intimidated and assaulted Ms Quinn and damaged her property.
Court records, obtained by the Daily Mail, show he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on the condition that he report to Lake Cargelligo Police Station every day and not go within 100m of her home or workplace.
Records also show Ingram was a known domestic violence offender at the time, having pleaded guilty in 2021 to assaulting another woman in Griffith.
Police have shared images of the Ford Ranger ute that Ingram was last seen driving
Police admitted that Ingram may have since switched vehicles
When a reporter asked Holland during a press conference on Friday why Ingram was granted bail, he replied: ‘A risk assessment would have been done at the time.
‘At that time, he had not committed a violent offence in the last five years and, therefore, deemed fit.
‘Where we can, we obviously grant people bail. We don’t want to keep them in custody. With strict bail conditions and AVO in place, it’s deemed suitable.’
