Shooting in Australian town leaves 3 dead and 1 wounded

Three people — two women and a man — were dead, and another man was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition, police said.

The shooter or shooters appeared to be at large.

State police were working to locate the gunman and sent resources from neighboring districts to the town, including heavily armed tactical police, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

The elite Tactical Operations Unit was on its way from Sydney armed with high-powered weapons and will “contain the threat," an unnamed source told the newspaper.

Police used geo-targeted text messages to urge the public to avoid the area and for local residents to stay inside and contacted. The Commercial Hotel, a local pub, was closed by 6 p.m., the newspaper said.

Local resident Manisha, who did not want to give her family name, told Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper there were police cars and ambulances “all over town."

“The town is made of just two main streets. We can hear the sounds" of sirens, she told the newspaper.

Local state parliament lawmaker Roy Butler, described the shooting as “tragic news” for the town, which is a 600-kilometer (370-mile) drive west of Sydney.

"It’s a terrible situation, and it’s still live, so we don’t have much information. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Butler told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The shooting came on a National Day of Mourning as Australia remembers the 15 people shot dead in Sydney at a Hannukah celebration on Dec. 14.

Authorities say the two alleged Sydney gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State group to carry out Australia's worst mass shooting since 1996.

The Australian Parliament’s on Tuesday passed new gun restrictions in response to the tragedy.