A man has been charged following the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old Sligo man in Australia.
Many tributes have been paid to Damian Conlon, whose death has shocked people in his hometown.
A 57-year-old man, Luke Simon, believed to have been known to Mr Conlon, has been formally charged with his murder, and is expected to spend seven weeks in prison before his next court appearance scheduled for April 5th, the 7News channel in Australia reported.
The Sligo man had been living in Australia for almost 12 years and poignantly, when he attained his Australian citizenship in June 2021, he told a local newspaper: “This is the best country in the world.”
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The alarm was raised when officers from Chifley Police District were called to Jenolan Street in Oberon, a rural town about 200km from Sydney, at around 8am local time on Thursday morning.
There, they found Mr Conlon, who had suffered a gunshot wound.
He was treated by ambulance paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Mayor of Sligo, Municipal District Councillor Tom MacSharry, said people in the area were stunned by the news. “We are a town in shock. It is a terrible tragedy.
“Damian was a lovely fellow and comes from a very well-respected family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Local Sinn Féin councillor Arthur Gibbons, who knew Mr Conlon, described him as “a live wire” who could “light up any room”.
“He was a fun-loving guy, full of mischief and full of fun. We are devastated that he is gone,” he said.
Mr Conlon was a native of Forthill in Sligo town. A carpenter by trade, he had set up a successful excavation business in Australia.
In an interview with a local paper in Bathurst after he received his Australian citizenship he said: “I’ve travelled across Australia, so I’ve only been in Bathurst for just about a year and four months, but it’s lovely.”
The young man, who it is understood was married to an Australian woman, said he hoped to settle down there. He told the paper: “This is the best country in the world. There’s no better place to live, I reckon.”
In a statement, NSW Police said: “A crime scene was established, which will be examined by specialist forensic police and a firearm has been seized for further examination. Initial inquiries suggest the two men were known to each other.”
