Zachariah Ugle named as wanted man after Pinjarra shooting incident, police warn residents to ‘remain inside’
Heavily armed police are on the hunt for an 18-year-old man in the Pinjarra area as they investigate reports of shots fired at a “random” house on Tuesday morning.
WA Police have released a photo of Zachariah Ugle, who is wanted over fears he was armed with a long-armed firearm following a series of incidents on Tuesday morning.
Acting Inspector Darren Hart, of Mandurah district police, said although the tactical response group and the police air force were now searching for Mr Ugle, he had still not been located as of 3.15pm.
“At around 9.30am today…police received a report of a suspicious person at a residence on Pollard Street in Pinjarra. “At around 10.10am, we received a report that a man was seen on CCTV in the garden with what appeared to be a firearm in his hand.
“The police are investigating the tip that the bullet may have been fired into that house.
“No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported to police.”
A/Support. Hart said the police had no information linking the house where the shooting occurred to Mr. Ugle and that the incident was accidental.
“We have spoken to many people close to Zach and others involved in the investigation, and we are receiving some assistance from family members and friends of those involved in the investigation.
“This is not a targeted series of events; they appear to be random and I think the risk is minimal.
“We are using every resource we can to find the person involved.”
A/Support. Mr Hart said Mr Ugle was not a registered firearm owner and appealed to people in the Pinjarra area to be aware of their surroundings and call police immediately if they saw him.
“If the man is seen, members of the public should stay indoors and out of sight and call police immediately on triple-0.
“I have no doubt that there is concern in the community and all I can say is to reiterate that we are mobilizing every resource available to find that person.”
The residential area around Wilson Road and Sibbald Street was put on lockdown as heavily armed officers from WA Police’s tactical response group advanced towards the rear fence line of properties on Teague Street, which leads to the local football ground.
The police helicopter appears to be concentrating its efforts over the residential area just outside the city centre.
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw a man running from a nearby property.
It was stated that the police quickly rushed to the area as the search intensified towards the afternoon.
“It was like heads in the backyard. There were cops in every backyard,” they said.
“They closed all the streets”
WA Police issued the first warning at around 11.40am on Tuesday and urged everyone in the area to comply with police instructions in the area. St John WA was not called to the scene.
Sara Spence, a mother from Pinjarra, said she could not return to her two children, aged 9 and 11, who called her saying they saw “soldiers” on the street.
“So they got a little scared… That’s why I really want to go back home to them,” he said.
Ms Spence said not only did police not let her out onto the street just before 3pm, she also observed armed police peeping over fences as part of the investigation.
A Shire of Murray spokesman said the county had “secured its premises as a precaution” following the police response. This includes the Murray Aquatics and Recreation Centre, Murray Library and the state’s executive office.
It was the second gunman incident in a week when another man, Kenneth John Giles, allegedly fled a property north of Mullewa in the Central West after a woman in her 40s was shot in the hand with a long-armed firearm last Wednesday. There is no information to suggest the two are linked.
Police searches continue in the area to find Mr Giles, an experienced forester, and extensive police resources are being allocated to the search.
The 58-year-old man is believed to have fled eastbound in a white Nissan Patrol with registration 1BIY336. He is not a licensed firearm owner.
