Man charged with murder over Eungella shooting as another faces extradition

Police say a second man is likely to be charged with murder over a shooting on the NSW Far North Coast. 

A 41-year-old man died and two others were injured following an incident on a property at Eungella, 10 kilometres west of Murwillumbah, about 1:25pm on Wednesday.

Police will allege two men, aged 38 and 41, were shot by another man, who ran from the scene with a fourth person.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the older man at the property for a gunshot wound but he died at the scene.

Police were then called to a second incident also on Tyalgum Road, where a 45-year-old man had allegedly been hit by a ute.

He is being treated in hospital for fractures to his arms and legs and remains under police guard.

The 38-year-old man who was shot later sought treatment at hospital for his wounds, and remains in a stable condition.

The police Dog Squad was called in as officers searched the surrounding area.

A man was arrested in bushland near Tumbulgum Road about five hours later and charged with murder. 

Mark Gary Brown, 36, appeared in court via audio-visual link today. 

No application was made for bail, which was formally refused by Magistrate Karen Stafford.

Motive unclear 

Acting Superintendent Matthew Zimmer said the man who was hit by the ute was being treated in hospital on the Gold Coast.

"He has been arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant for murder," he said.

"He will remain under police guard until he is in a position to be released from hospital and extradited to NSW to face those charges."  

Acting Superintendent Zimmer told ABC North Coast Breakfast that all of those involved were known to each other.

"This was an isolated incident, we do believe it was targeted, we do believe that there were only the four men involved," he said.

Acting Superintendent Zimmer said police believed there was "no ongoing risk to public safety".

He said the two victims were cousins, but the motive behind the shooting remained unclear.

"Part of our investigations indicates that there may be a connection to a caravan fire and a dispute over some property," he said.

"That investigation is ongoing, but as I said, we need to speak to these two individuals who are in hospital."

Acting Superintendent Zimmer said the firearm used in the shooting had not been found.

"We believe that it may be in the vicinity of where the shooter was run down in the motor vehicle," he said.

"It's been described as a handgun.

"Obviously, we will wait for the surgical intervention there is believed to be a projectile in one of the men who was shot."

Small community 'reeling' 

Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said the Eungella community was in shock. 

"It's a tragedy for our small community and it's just reeling at the moment with this news," she said. 

Cr Cherry said Eungella was a small, quiet rural community in the Tweed Shire. 

"You just wouldn't expect something like this to happen there," she said. 

"Everyone just wants to know what happened. Obviously people are flocking around the families of the people involved." 

Cr Cherry's message to the community was to support each other. 

"Band together, look after the families and remember that violence is never the answer and let's come together as a community to support those people," she said.