The brother of a man allegedly shot dead by the owner of a neighbouring farm has revealed what they discussed while on their way to an early morning meeting with him at their boundary.
Ross Tighe and his brother Graham arrived at the front gate of the cattle property at Bogie, in the Whitsundays region of Far North Queensland, at about 8am on 4 August 2022, where they found neighbour Darryl Valroy Young already waiting.
Minutes later, the brothers’ mother, Maree Schwarz, and stepfather, Mervyn Schwarz, also arrived at the meeting that Mr Young, 59, had called the previous night, leaving Ross the only member of his family to emerge alive.
At a preliminary hearing for Mr Young, who is charged with three counts of murder, in Mackay Magistrates Court this week, Mr Tighe said he and his brother spent part of the 20-minute drive to the fence arguing about whether they should be armed.
“I remember saying, ‘Fuck, we don’t have any guns,'” Tighe reportedly told the court. The Daily Mercury.
He said his brother replied, “Yeah, fuck,” but that they were both relaxed and did not turn around.
When Mr. Young’s attorney asked whether his client was visibly holding a gun, Mr. Tighe replied that he was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car with the door open and that he did not see one at the time.
They had brought a key they had borrowed to use a path on the neighbour’s property, but instead of going out and getting it, Mr Young told them to hang it on the fence, which Tighe said led him to think: “What the hell is that moron doing?” the hearing was told.
Ross Tighe, pictured with his partner Kaitlyn, is recovering in hospital after allegedly being shot in the stomach.
Pictured: The Schwarz-Tighe family’s land at Bogie in North Queensland.
Mr Tighe said his brother had hung up the key but was not visibly angry and told the court that until that day he had not had any dispute with Mr Young.
When his mother and stepfather arrived, Mr Young told the court he got out of his car but refused to shake his stepfather’s hand.
Police allege Mr Young pulled out a gun and shot all four members of the Schwarz-Tighe family, leaving Ross with a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Despite his injuries, Mr Tighe miraculously escaped by jumping into a car and driving 40 kilometres to another property to alert police, who rushed to the scene in search of the other three alleged victims and the gunman.
Queensland Police sealed off the area after their call and found Mervyn, 71, Maree, 59, and Graham, 35, dead at the Shannonvale Road property a few hours later.
Maree and Mervyn Schwarz died from gunshot wounds, along with Maree’s son, Graham Tighe.
Graham Tighe (pictured left) left behind a young family
Maree Schwarz’s brother-in-law, Greg Austen, a councillor on Isaac Regional Council, previously told Daily Mail Australia that his nephew-in-law had shown incredible courage.
‘Ross has two girls… he’s a very strong young man.
“Witnessing what happened in front of him and then being able to walk back to his car shows true resilience, and I’m sure he won’t forget it for the rest of his life.”
He was airlifted to Mackay Hospital where he underwent surgery and recovered in ICU.
Mr. Young is in protective custody and has not yet entered a plea.
Darryl Valroy Young (above) is accused of shooting four people and killing three in a mass shooting in the Whitsundays town of Bogie.