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| Darwin shooting: Banned shotgun used in four killings, police say | Darwin shooting: Banned shotgun used in four killings, police say |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| A man alleged to have killed four people and injured another in the Australian city of Darwin used an illegal pump-action shotgun, police say. | A man alleged to have killed four people and injured another in the Australian city of Darwin used an illegal pump-action shotgun, police say. |
| The 45-year-old suspect, known to police, was arrested about an hour after the first shots were fired on Tuesday. | The 45-year-old suspect, known to police, was arrested about an hour after the first shots were fired on Tuesday. |
| Police said he carried out attacks at several locations and may have been searching for a "specific individual". | Police said he carried out attacks at several locations and may have been searching for a "specific individual". |
| It was not terror-related, they added. | It was not terror-related, they added. |
| Authorities have not identified the victims nor the suspect. | Authorities have not identified the victims nor the suspect. |
| However Australian media have identified the gunman as Darwin man Benjamin Hoffman. | However Australian media have identified the gunman as Darwin man Benjamin Hoffman. |
| One of the victims has also been named as Hassan Baydoun, a 33-year-old taxi driver from Lebanon. | One of the victims has also been named as Hassan Baydoun, a 33-year-old taxi driver from Lebanon. |
| A relative told the Sydney Morning Herald: "It's a big loss... he was one of the best people i knew in my life." | A relative told the Sydney Morning Herald: "It's a big loss... he was one of the best people i knew in my life." |
| 'Prohibited firearm' | 'Prohibited firearm' |
| Mass shootings - defined in Australia as incidents with four or more deaths - have been a rare occurrence since the country overhauled its gun laws in 1996, in the wake of a shooting in Tasmania that left 35 people dead. | |
| Those reforms included restrictions on gun ownership and the banning of semi-automatic and automatic firearms. | Those reforms included restrictions on gun ownership and the banning of semi-automatic and automatic firearms. |
| The weapon used on Tuesday was a prohibited 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said it "may have been stolen as far back as 1997". | The weapon used on Tuesday was a prohibited 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said it "may have been stolen as far back as 1997". |
| Such a weapon should have been surrendered or destroyed under the government crackdown on firearms at the time, experts have said. | Such a weapon should have been surrendered or destroyed under the government crackdown on firearms at the time, experts have said. |
| How did the shootings unfold? | How did the shootings unfold? |
| The alleged gunman, who had been on parole since January, was wearing an electronic tag at the time. Police said he had served four years of a six-year sentence. | The alleged gunman, who had been on parole since January, was wearing an electronic tag at the time. Police said he had served four years of a six-year sentence. |
| Police said he travelled to several places across the city, including the Palms Hotel in the suburb of Woolner. There he allegedly opened fire in a number of rooms before fleeing. | Police said he travelled to several places across the city, including the Palms Hotel in the suburb of Woolner. There he allegedly opened fire in a number of rooms before fleeing. |
| One man was killed at the hotel, and another person was wounded, police said. | One man was killed at the hotel, and another person was wounded, police said. |
| Another person was killed at Buff Club, another at Gardens Hill Crescent and another at Jolly Street. Police said the suspect also went to the Peter McAulay Centre - a police operations base. | Another person was killed at Buff Club, another at Gardens Hill Crescent and another at Jolly Street. Police said the suspect also went to the Peter McAulay Centre - a police operations base. |
| Witnesses said the suspect appeared to have been searching for a specific person called "Alex". | Witnesses said the suspect appeared to have been searching for a specific person called "Alex". |
| "We know he was looking for one individual," Commissioner Kershaw told reporters on Wednesday. | "We know he was looking for one individual," Commissioner Kershaw told reporters on Wednesday. |
| The suspect remains in police custody at the Royal Darwin Hospital and is expected to be charged with murder, he added. | The suspect remains in police custody at the Royal Darwin Hospital and is expected to be charged with murder, he added. |
| What has been the response? | What has been the response? |
| Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said officials would conduct an urgent review of all prisoners on parole in the wake of the shootings. | Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said officials would conduct an urgent review of all prisoners on parole in the wake of the shootings. |
| "The Northern Territory Government will do everything in its power to determine what led to these tragic events and how this violence occurred," Mr Gunner said. | "The Northern Territory Government will do everything in its power to determine what led to these tragic events and how this violence occurred," Mr Gunner said. |
| Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday the shootings were a "terrible act of violence". | Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday the shootings were a "terrible act of violence". |
| Gun crime is rare in Australia, but it saw its worst mass shooting incident in more than 20 years last year when seven members of the same family died in a murder-suicide. | Gun crime is rare in Australia, but it saw its worst mass shooting incident in more than 20 years last year when seven members of the same family died in a murder-suicide. |
| More recently, a man was killed and three others wounded in a shooting outside a popular nightclub in Melbourne in April. | More recently, a man was killed and three others wounded in a shooting outside a popular nightclub in Melbourne in April. |