The brother of a man allegedly shot by the owner of a neighbouring farm has revealed what they discussed as they drove to an early morning meeting with him on the edge of their village.
Ross Tighe and his brother Graham arrived at the main gate of the cattle station at Bogie in the Whitsundays region of Far North Queensland at about 8am on August 4, 2022, to find neighbour Darryl Valroy Young already waiting.
Minutes later, the brothers’ mother, Maree Schwarz, and stepfather Mervyn Schwarz also arrived at the gathering that 59-year-old Mr Young had called the night before. Ross was the only member of his family to leave alive.
At a preliminary hearing for Mr Young, who is charged with three counts of murder, held at Mackay Crown Court this week, Mr Tighe said he and his brother spent part of the 20-minute drive to the gate discussing whether they should arm themselves.
“I remember saying, ‘F***, we haven’t got a gun,’” Mr Tighe told the court, sources said. The Daily Mercury.
He said his brother replied, “Yeah, f***,” but they both relaxed and didn’t turn around.
When Mr Young’s lawyer asked if his client was visibly holding a weapon, Mr Tighe replied that he was in the driver’s seat of his car with the door open and that he did not see a weapon at the time.
They had taken a key they had borrowed to use a road on a neighbour’s property. Instead of getting out and taking the key, Mr Young told them to hang it on the fence. According to Mr Tighe, that made him think: ‘What the f*** is that idiot doing?’, the hearing was told.
Ross Tighe, pictured with his partner Kaitlyn, recovered in hospital after reportedly being shot in the stomach
Pictured: The Schwarz-Tighe family’s plot of land at Bogie, North Queensland
Mr Tighe said his brother had hung up the key but he was not visibly angry. He told the court he had not had any disputes with Mr Young until that day.
When his mother and stepfather arrived, he told the court that Mr Young got out of his car but refused to shake his stepfather’s hand.
Police allege Mr Young pulled out a gun and shot all four members of the Schwarz-Tighe family, leaving Ross with a bullet wound to the abdomen.
Despite his injuries, Mr Tighe miraculously escaped by jumping into a car and driving 25 miles to another compound to alert police, who rushed to the scene in search of the three other alleged victims and the shooter.
Queensland police cordoned off the area after his call and a few hours later found Mervyn, 71, Maree, 59, and Graham, 35, dead in the Shannonvale Road area.
Maree and Mervyn Schwarz died of gunshot wounds, as did Maree’s son Graham Tighe.
Graham Tighe (pictured left) left behind a young family
Maree Schwarz’s brother-in-law, Isaac Regional Councillor Greg Austen, previously told Daily Mail Australia his nephew showed incredible courage.
‘Ross has two daughters… he’s a very strong young man.
“That he witnessed what was happening before his eyes and was able to walk back to the car shows great perseverance. I am sure he will remember this for the rest of his life.”
He was airlifted to Mackay Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was admitted to intensive care.
Mr Young is in pre-trial detention and has not yet entered a plea.
Darryl Valroy Young (above) is accused of shooting four people, killing three, in a mass shooting in the Whitsundays town of Bogie