Friday 5 August 2022 10:07 AM Bogie Mass-shooting: Dad 'shot by his neighbour' over property spent three DAYS ... trends now
A young dad spent as few as three days with his newborn son before he was allegedly shot dead by his gun-wielding neighbour over a long-standing dispute about a fence, a family member says.
Graham Tighe, 35, was allegedly shot to death alongside his mother Maree Schwarz and step-father Mervyn Schwarz, 71, at 9am on Thursday at the boundary line of their property in Bogie, in the Whitsundays region of North Queensland.
Mr Tighe's younger brother, Ross Tighe, in his 30s, was also shot in the stomach, but managed to escape to a ute and drive 40km to get help - while soaked in blood.
Police have 59-year-old Darryl Young in custody. He was charged with three counts of murder on Friday evening.
Greg Austen - who is Mrs Schwarz's brother-in-law - told Daily Mail Australia that Graham Tighe's infant son was hospitalised in Brisbane, 1,000km south of Bogie, soon after his birth three weeks ago 'because he was crook'. He was released this week.
The little boy spent just three precious days with his father before the fatal shooting, Mr Austen said.
Pictured: Graham Tighe and his pregnant wife, before their son was born three weeks ago
Graham Tighe (pictured) leaves behind a young family, including a little boy who was recently sick, and his toddler daughter
'I reckon Graham only spent about three days with his son,' Mr Austen said.
'He's the first boy born that can carry on the Tighe family name.'
On July 11, Mr Tighe's wife wrote a gushing social media post to introduce their newborn to family friends - their toddler sat next to her new brother, beaming at the camera.
'Congratulations guys, so happy for your beautiful little family of four,' a friend wrote in the comments section.
Police allege that on Wednesday night, Young invited the family to meet him at the border of their farms early on Thursday.
However, he allegedly pulled out a gun and shot all four members of the Schwarz-Tighe family, leaving Ross with a bullet wound to the stomach.
Ross Tighe, pictured with his partner Kaitlyn, is recovering in hospital after allegedly being shot in the stomach
Maree and Mervyn Schwarz died from gunshots wounds, along with Maree's son Graham Tighe.
Despite his injuries, Ross Tighe miraculously escaped by jumping into a car and driving 40km to another property to alert police.
Cops rushed to the small rural town in search of the three other alleged victims and gunman.
Queensland Police locked the area down after his call and found the three family members dead on the Shannonvale Road property a few hours later.
Mr Austen, who is Mrs Schwarz's brother-in-law, told Daily Mail Australia the neighbours had been warring over where the boundary point should be between their two farms.
Graham Tighe bought the property with his mother and stepfather in May last year. He is pictured at a wedding
'It was a fence line dispute, and it's been going for many years,' he said.
'How it happened in this day and age is beyond me. It's not America.'
Ross Tighe, who has a one-year-old daughter with partner Kaitlyn, was airlifted to Mackay Hospital in a critical condition, where he was rushed into emergency surgery.
He remained in a stable condition in the intensive care unit and was able to be interviewed by police on Thursday night.
Mr Austen said he was shocked by how the feud allegedly escalated as he paid tribute to his community-oriented loved ones.
'When we first heard something happened, we thought they were playing silly buggers in Collinsville, but we didn't realise the outcome which was so severe,' he said.
'They were an honest Christian family. They were a bush family who worked seven days a week and had beers on Sundays, participated in events, very community-minded and well-respected in the community.'
'Just a normal Australian family.'
Maree Schwarz's brother-in-law Greg Austen said Ross (pictured) is a strong man
