THE FISHING fraternity in Orange is still struggling to come to terms with the death of Orange fisherman and luremaker Joe Priest, who shot Kingswood man John Knol following an argument at Wiseman's Ferry in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After shooting Mr Knol in a cabin with a .22 pistol in front of five other competitors, Mr Priest then walked outside and shot himself.
Fishing mates of Mr Priest said yesterday there was no indication prior to the incident the Electrolux engineer had owned a gun.
Yesterday the officer in charge of the investigation into the attempted murder/suicide, Detective Senior Constable Frewin, would not comment on whether Mr Priest was licensed to own a pistol.
A spokesman for Orange Pistol Club said Mr Priest had not been a registered member of the club but he could have been a member of a club in another centre.
Strict guidelines surround the registration and ownership of pistols in NSW, with owners required to be a member of a registered pistol club and undertake training shoots four times a year under controlled conditions.
Police have been told the catalyst for the argument between the two men which erupted into violence was the manufacture of a range of lures.
Mr Priest manufactured and packaged lures from his home in Orange with his own plastic injecting equipment.
Just 10 days ago, Mr Priest released his latest range of lures which yesterday was destined to become a collector's item, with only one of the latest design remaining at a local fishing retail outlet.
Mr Knol remains in a critical condition in Westmead Hospital.
No funeral details are available for Mr Priest.