Police have swarmed a location in western NSW following a possible sighting of accused triple murderer Julian Ingram.
The fugitive, also known as Julian Pierpoint, has been on the run for five days after three people were gunned down and another was seriously injured in Lake Cargelligo.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said tactical police and the air wing deployed immediately after "public witnesses" reported seeing Ingram in the Mt Hope area, north-west of Lake Cargelligo, in the early hours of this morning.
Warning: This article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died.
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"Tactical police are in that location now carrying out searches of multiple properties in the area," Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said.
"Obviously with an armed offender in that area we are asking for members of the public to exercise extreme caution.
The sighting has not been confirmed, Holland said, but officers will continue to search the area "until we're clear those areas are safe".
The Mt Hope area is not in lockdown, but Holland have asked locals to "be careful about their movements" and report unusual activity to police.
Police have also updated the description of the Ute he is believed to travelling in, to a white single-cab Ford Ranger utility trayback with registration DN07GZ.
Police believe Ingram is "on his own at the present time", but Holland said they couldn't rule out the possibility he is being helped by locals.
"What we've seen from last night is the information that there may be a possibility that the offender will move at night, obviously in cooler periods, hence why we have PolAir stationed in the area," Holland said.
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Police have spent the week searching a "very broad" area of the NSW central west surrounding Lake Cargelligo.
"We get information about where locations are, and it may be a property that consists of 400 or 500 hectares," NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said.
The 37-year-old's home in town - a two minute drive from where it is alleged he shot and killed his pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn and her friend John Harris before traveling to Sophie's aunties place and killing her too - was turned upside down by police.
A 19-year-old was there and came face-to-face with the gunman. The 19-year-old's mother told 9News it was a case of being in the wrong place as the wrong time for her son.
"He said he was just there visiting, went out to put a light bulb in the back of his car, and the shots were fired," she said.
"All he remembers is jumping to the side."
He is recovering after he was airlifted to hospital.
"He's fine, he had surgery yesterday," she said.
"They removed pellets from his shoulder, hip and the back of his leg, and he's got a broken hand but hopefully he's on his way home."
May be receiving help
Officers are widening their search for the killer, moving through rural properties across the region, warning he is dangerous.
"We're looking at other locations in the broader districts from information supplied to police at this time."
Authorities say the suspect may even be receiving help.
"There is the possibility that people are assisting him to avoid police apprehension," Holland said.
More than 100 officers have been involved in search efforts both on the ground and from the air, battling extreme heat.
Senior police sources told 9News they have a checklist of areas where they've been focusing their search.
These have included Griffith, where many of Ingram's relatives live, and Euabalong, where he is known to frequent, but they've had little success.
The added issue for police is that Ingram is known to be an experienced bushman who can survive in remote areas with little-to-no resources.
In the coming days, police plan to expand their search area and increase their resources to leave no stone unturned in their search for the alleged killers.
Out on bail
Ingram was out on bail on alleged domestic violence charges at the time of the incident.
The 37-year-old's criminal record stretches back ten years.
Police granted him bail but slapped him with an apprehended domestic violence order which banned him from going within 100 metres of Quinn.
"When bail was made back in November there was a risk assessment done at the time, at that time the risk was deemed suitable," Holland said.
Eight weeks later - after reporting for bail in the morning - Ingram allegedly shot dead Sophie and two others.
Despite his history, Ingram didn't meet the threshold for the government's tough new laws, introduced after Molly Ticehurst was murdered by a former partner who was out on bail.
The reforms only apply to serious domestic violence offences that carry maximum sentences of 14 years or more.
Solicitor and advocate for domestic violence victims, Tendayi Chivunga, says this incident exposes a flaw in the laws.
"The gap here is repeat offenders or those who continually breach DV AVOs are still out on our streets," she said.
If Ingram had met the threshold he would have been fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet, alerting police if he approached Sophie.
"Where there has been any history of violent offending there should be electronic monitoring as a condition of bail," Shadow Attorney General Damien Tudehope said.
Given the infancy of the case and the fact the accused is still on the run, the government won't comment on why Ingram was released on bail.
Although, it insists it isn't being complacent and the system will be scrutinised.
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