Fugitive Australian shooter on bail at time of alleged murders

A man wanted over the shooting deaths of three people in a small Australian town was on bail for domestic violence offences at the time, police have said.

Authorities are still searching for Julian Ingram, 37, who allegedly opened fire on four people in Lake Cargelligo, about 450km (280 miles) west of Sydney, on Thursday afternoon.

"Our last sightings were on a road out of Lake Cargelligo," NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters in an update on Friday.

Local media have reported that one of the people killed was the pregnant former partner of Ingram, 25-year-old Sophie Quinn.

Citing police sources, they say the other alleged victims included a friend of Quinn, found shot dead alongside her in a vehicle.

A relative of Quinn was killed in a second shooting that took place soon after the first incident, which has also left a 19-year-old in a critical condition in hospital.

"All the victims appear to be related to the offender at this stage, and that's the avenue our investigations will take at this point," Holland told reporters.

The families of the victims "were not doing well", he added.

Quinn's mother, Cathy Quinn, told Nine newspapers her daughter did not have "a mean bone in her", describing her as a "a fun girl to be around".

Quinn was reportedly seven-months pregnant and was due to give birth to a son in March.

Holland said Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, had never held a gun licence and police are investigating how and where he "gained access to the firearms".

About 100 officers, including members of tactical units, are involved in the ongoing search for Ingram.

An employee of the local council, Ingram has great local knowledge, Holland said.

"It would be feasible that he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected," Holland said.