The police in Western Australia have embarked on a massive manhunt for a 58 year old male who is suspected to have escaped an isolated farm in the country’s Midwest region after a woman was shot.
The person who has put out a public safety alert is Kenneth John Giles, who has been involved in an incident near Mullewa, a small agricultural town 450 km north of Perth.
Apparently, Mr. Giles and a female friend were engaged in a domestic argument at a residence on Urawa Road where a firearm was discharged.
The woman was taken to hospital with injuries that were described as non life threatening.
By Thursday evening, the police reported that the woman had been airlifted from the Geraldton hospital to the Perth hospital.
The Western Australian Police are of the view that Mr. Giles has left the property armed with a gun and is traveling in a Nissan Patrol Utility Car that has a registration number of 1BIY336.
They have asked the public not to approach him or alert the authorities if he or the car is sighted.
This search effort has brought specialist equipment into the region, including Tactical Response Group police officers who have been backed up by further units from Perth.
The roads in the region have been checked in an effort to determine in which direction the suspect went once he left the scene. This search continued into Thursday.
Search expands while police make a plea
The Midwest Gascoyne District Superintendent Neil Vanderplank, issued an appeal for Mr. Giles to turn himself in. The priority was the safety of the suspect and the community at large.
The public alert has had an immediate effect in the region where long distances and limited services can quickly turn a police operation into a broader disruption for residents and businesses.
Mullewa sits inland from Geraldton and is surrounded by pastoral and cropping properties meaning many locals and workers travel by road between farms, town services and the regional center.
The police have asked people in and around Mullewa to be vigilant and not to take any unnecessary risks while the search is continuing, especially those who are going on back roads or around remote properties.
The residents have also been appealed to pass on information quickly if they find a car that matches the description.
Mr. Giles is described as about 173 cm tall of medium build with brown hair and brown eyes.
Police have not disclosed more details about the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting, such as whether charges have been laid and if the firearm has been recovered.
They have also not updated on the condition of the woman beyond confirming that she had to be taken for further treatment.
The incident lands amid renewed national focus on community safety and access to support services in regional areas where the first response often falls to local police and health staff working across vast distances.
When incidents involve alleged firearms police often quickly issue warnings to the public in a bid to protect residents but also to widen the net for sightings that can provide information on the location of a suspect.
Police have urged anyone with information to phone triple zero immediately if they sight Mr. Giles or the Nissan Patrol.
