'As cold as anything:' Chilling details emerge about alleged Gold Coast shooter
Witnesses have described the terrifying moment a mother-of-three was gunned down inside a Gold Coast restaurant on Thursday.
Staff and customers fled in terror after a man walked into McDonald's at Helensvale around 8.45 (AEST) and shot a woman in the head, before turning the gun on himself.
Paramedics were called to the scene but the woman, 49-year-old Karina Lock, died a short time later.
The man, 57-year-old Stephen Lock, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Witnesses' have described the chilling moment the shooter chased the woman into the restaurant.
"She said something along the lines of, he's trying to kill me," a bystander told 7 News.
"He came inside and went to the woman who was there and put his arm around her chest and shot her, just as cold as anything."
Brittany Stewart's boyfriend was working inside at the time.
“He’s pretty distraught," she said.
"Everyone was crying and one of the cafe girls saw it."
It's understood the woman, who had previously lived with the man in Maryborough, had taken out a domestic violence order against the man and moved to the Gold Coast.
Police say they had agreed to meet at the McDonald's to talk.
"I am not going to go into the specifics of it because it is quite a graphic and tragic incident that has occurred and that is obviously the focus of our investigation," Detective Inspector Mark White said.
"We're also looking at the CCTV footage that was available inside the premises."
It's the third fatal domestic violence incident in Queensland this week.
"You'd never think that this was going to happen on your doorstep," a bystander told 7 News.
"The world is going crazy."
Queensland Premier Aannastacia Palaszczuk has promised the state government will do more to address the issue and is pleading with women to call triple zero immediately if they fear for their lives.
The suspect remains in Gold Coast University Hospital and is expected to face charges.
Police believe the gun, a A.22 semi automatic pistol, may have been bought illegally.
Anyone with information which could assist with this matter should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.
If you are struggling mentally, are a victim of domestic violence or are in need of crisis support don't hesitate to contact LifeLine on 13 11 14. If you find yourself in immediate danger contact 000.
Source: The West Australian, 10th September 2015
Originally published as: 'As cold as anything:' Chilling details emerge about alleged Gold Coast shooter
