A Lake Cargelligo resident has made a bombshell claim over what sparked Julian Ingram to allegedly kill three people, including his pregnant ex-partner, as the search for the fugitive enters its seventh day.

Mr Ingram, who is also known as Julian Pierpoint, is wanted after three people were fatally shot in the Central West NSW town on Thursday, January 22.

Sophie Quinn, 25, and her friend John Harris, 32, were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a car on Bokhara Street around 4.30pm. Both were treated by emergency crews but tragically died at the scene.

Ms Quinn was pregnant and expected to give birth to a baby boy in March; however, in a shocking twist, a resident believes that Mr Ingram carried out the alleged murder spree because he discovered the baby was not his following a reported DNA test.

“Sophie was his partner at one point,” the resident told the Daily Telegraph.

“The thing that really tripped him in the last week, I think, before this event, the baby that she was carrying…was confirmed not (to be) his child. That’s the final straw.”

Ms Quinn’s aunt, Nerida Quinn, 50, was also killed and her neighbour, Kaleb Macqueen, 19, was seriously injured after Mr Ingram allegedly opened fire at the pair in the driveway of a home on Walker Street shortly after the first shooting.

Nerida died at the scene, while Mr Macqueen was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

As the manhunt intensifies, police have expanded their search for Mr Ingram following reports he had been spotted in the early hours of Sunday morning. They are now targeting properties in the Mount Hope region, roughly 90km from Lake Cargelligo.

At a briefing on Saturday morning, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andy Holland said Mr Ingram, a council gardener, had worked in the area for a long time and was well known in the community.

“There is the possibility that people are assisting him to avoid police apprehension,” Mr Holland said.

The source also claimed Mr Ingram was friendly with a lot of people in the community and often did handy work for local residents, including the elderly.

“He knows who’s who, who’s friendly with who, who might put him up if he makes his way into town, what they think of this or that,” they told the publication.

“A lot of information he gathered would, you might say, set him up for the position he’s in now. It’s become very important to him.”

Residents in the remote community have been warned to exercise extreme caution.

“The (alleged) offender is considered armed and dangerous,” Mr Holland added.

“For the people in the Mount Hope (region), we need them to exercise extreme caution. There is an active gunman loose in their area.”

Mr Ingram is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 165cm-170cm tall, of medium build with short dark hair and brown eyes.

He was last seen driving out of town in a Ford Ranger ute with NSW registration DM-07-GZ.

Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000

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