South Mackay shooting: Sad update after mother is allegedly shot dead in front of her daughter while on their way to sports

A grieving young girl struggles with witnessing a murder.

Natalie Jane Frahm, 34, was reportedly shot in the head and chest by her neighbor Ryan Geoffrey Cole, 31, as she pulled up in her car outside her home at Robb Place, South Mackay in central Queensland, on Wednesday afternoon.

Mrs. Frahm was traveling with two children, ages 11 and 12, who bravely ran out of the car.

“They were on their way to some sporting activity,” Detective Acting Chief Inspector Emma Novosel told reporters.

Cole allegedly approached the woman while she was in the vehicle with the girls before shooting her.

“It is clearly a tragic incident where two young girls witnessed a violent death,” Supt Novosel said.

“I would like to acknowledge and commend their courage for actually managing to get out of such a dangerous situation and raise the alarm.

“It’s incredibly courageous, and I can’t even imagine the trauma they must experience.”

The girls fled the car unharmed and alerted a 66-year-old male neighbor, James Trevor McGill.

He came to the woman’s aid but was reportedly shot by Cole, suffering hand and chest injuries.

The Good Samaritan remains in a serious but stable condition at Mackay Base Hospital.

Tiffany Mulligan, who knew Ms. Frahm from the Mang-gon Thai Boxing school they attended together, said she has been in contact with her friend’s traumatized daughter.

“I called her earlier, and understandably she just saw that happen to her mother, so she’s not really processing her emotions at the moment,” Ms Mulligan said. the courier post.

“She didn’t really have any emotions, but it comes, you know. I’ve been talking to them all day and they’re pretty devastated, that was literally our family.”

She described Ms Frahm as her “best friend”, who worked from home and did the administration for her brother’s business.

“We did everything together, she braided my hair before fights, she was one of my biggest supporters,” Ms Mulligan said.

“I’m just devastated… We went to town to party and do different things, she was such a nice person… and a smile from her would light up any room.”

She feared the worst after Ms. Frahm did not respond to her text messages on the afternoon of the shooting.

The Thai boxing gym the pair attended paid tribute to Ms Frahm on Facebook on Thursday.

“Natalie always had the most infectious smile, always helped where she could and made great friends,” the post said.

Other gym members expressed their shock as they also paid tribute.

“Loved, deeply respected and will be remembered with the highest esteem,” one person wrote.

‘A strong woman, loving mother who is very proud of her children… Always with a smile.’

Another wrote that ‘Nat’ was loved in the community and a great mother, wife and sparring partner. ️I hope the family and children are safe’.

The Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group traveled to Mackay on Thursday to provide support to Ms Frahm’s shattered family.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed Ms Frahm moved to Mackay several years ago from her hometown of Mount Isa, 1,230km west in outback Queensland.

Her family is well known in the small town, where they run local businesses.

In 2015, Ms Frahm made local news after winning a regional award – the EMO Trans Northern Outback Business Awards – for her beauty salon, Bellovista Spa & Skin Clinic.

In her latest post on Instagram last Monday, Ms. Frahm shared a video of herself skateboarding along a sidewalk, with the caption: “Skating into the week like a boss.”

A heartbroken friend paid tribute to the mother online as a ‘beautiful angel’.

The tragedy has rocked the quiet seaside suburb, which went into a massive emergency lockdown amid the alleged shootings.

Police will allege that Cole, who turned 31 that day, opened fire on Ms Frahm at around 4.30pm as she sat in her car with two teenage girls – her daughter and her daughter’s friend – before fleeing the scene in a Mitsubishi Triton .

Police were called and an exclusion zone was established while officers searched the area for the alleged shooter.

Cole was arrested outside a gas station on Bruce Highway near Hilton Street, about 1.2 miles away, around 7:45 p.m.

It is understood that Cole and Mrs Frahm did not know each other but lived on the same street.

A neighbor said she was shocked by the series of events and said she regularly saw Mr Cole on the street.

“He seemed nice,” she said.

‘He’s been living there for a while. He seemed like a good style of man. He always drove by and smiled. I saw him working on his boat or with his carpenter’s cart.

‘[What allegedly happened] It’s all very sad.’

Cole appeared in the Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday via video link from the watchhouse charged with murder and attempted murder.

He was remanded in custody to appear in court again at a later date.