A mother and her daughter who were tragically shot dead by a gunman in their Perth home have been remembered as beloved pillars of the community.
Jenny Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, were shot by a 63-year-old man who had arrived at their Floreat home in Perth’s west on Friday looking for his ex-partner.
Ms Petelczyc and the man died at the Berkeley Crescent residence while Gretl was rushed to hospital where she sadly died on Saturday morning.
The 18-year-old was a talented waterpolo player who graduated St Hilda’s Anglican School in 2022.
Jennifer, who went by Jenny, had been a widow after her husband Jon Petelczyc, the director of a local business consultancy firm, died in August 2019.
The family is survived by the couple’s other young adult daughter Liesl, who police said was not at the property.
Jenny Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, were shot by a 63-year-old man who had arrived at their Floreat home in Perth’s west on Friday looking for his ex-partner
Jennifer, who went by Jenny, had been a widow after her husband Jon Petelczyc, the director of a local business consultancy firm, died in August 2019.
At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, WA Police Detective Inspector David Gorton revealed the man, a registered gun owner, visited the house looking for his ex-wife before shooting the two women.
Police arrived at the property to hear the man fire a final shot, believed to be the moment the 63-year-old took his own life.
‘The 63-year-old was a licensed firearms holder in the state of Western Australia,’ Det Insp Gorton said.
‘He was the owner of the firearms we believe – at this point of time – were used.’
He also confirmed the man was known to police.
Detectives are investigating whether one of the women had her hands cable-tied by the shooter.
Det Insp Gorton also confirmed the man’s ex-wife and a daughter were in the care of the homicide squad.
‘We are providing any support we can to them.
‘Obviously, they’re very distressed by the circumstances and WA police will make the appropriate referrals to them for counselling.’
Police were called to the home in the city’s inner north-west at about 4.30pm local time on Friday after the gunman opened fire.
The woman who later died was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital in a critical condition.
Police were at the scene of the shooting overnight.
‘The incident is contained and there are no ongoing threats to the public,’ a police spokesman said.
A police helicopter was dispatched to the area and circled overhead as part of the response.
Neighbours described the street as ‘friendly’ and said a mother and her two adult daughters lived at the house, The West Australian reported.
Mourners attended the upmarket street on Saturday, some bringing bouquets of flowers
Friends of the two women tragically gunned down consoled each other outside the house
Neighbours described the street as ‘friendly’ and said a mother and her two adult daughters lived at the house, The West Australian reported
Police rushed to Berkeley Crescent in the Perth suburb of Floreat on Friday afternoon
A police helicopter circled overhead at the height of the large scale police operation
Young neighbour Archer Beattie told 9News he heard tyres screeching, driving, ‘lots of sirens, and then the occasional crack’.
Another neighbour called David said his daughter was in the backyard with the family dog and heard gunshots.
‘She ran inside and locked the doors and waited until we got home. She said she just knew they were gunshots,’ he said.
‘She said it was three or four shots.
‘We know the family (at that address) reasonably well and just hope they are OK.’
Another neighbour, Indiana Bond, told The West the incident as it developed was ‘quite scary’.
‘It was a bit of a rollercoaster … there were about two people around 18 or 19 talking out the front to a police officer, then about 15 minutes later we hear sirens going past,’ he said.
‘There was a whole shebang going on and so we came outside to have a look and then we saw the (TRG) outside the house.
‘Then we hear ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’ these shots going off, then we saw police roll up, ambulances roll up and they blocked off the whole street immediately.
‘There wasn’t anything rapid fire, but it was a lot of single shots so it sounded like a back-and-forth kind of action … it was quite scary.’
In a social media post State MP Christine Tonkin said it would take time for the circumstances of the tragedy to become clear.
‘We know that the people in this neighbourhood are shocked, confused and grieving. It will take time to make sense of what has happened and for life to return to a semblance of normality.
‘In the meantime, let’s be gentle with each other.’
Floreat is an upmarket suburb about 8kms north-west of the Perth CBD known for million-dollar homes and manicured lawns.
The area remains closed off the public as detectives and forensic officers investigate the scene.
Lifeline 13 11 14
1800RESPECT
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk