One of Australia's worst mass shootings and domestic violence cases, occurring three months before the Port Arthur massacre.
Key Facts
- Date
- 25 January 1996
- Perpetrator
- Peter May, aged 32
- Victims killed
- 6 (wife, three children, two parents-in-law)
- Perpetrator's fate
- Died by suicide after the killings
- Location
- Hillcrest suburb, Logan City, Queensland
- Months before Port Arthur
- 3 months
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Peter May had a documented history of domestic violence and problem gambling. His relationship with his wife Helen had broken down, leaving them estranged. These long-standing personal crises created the conditions leading to the violent episode.
On 25 January 1996, Peter May shot and killed six family members in Hillcrest, Logan City, Queensland: his estranged wife Helen, their three children, and her parents. May then took his own life, leaving seven dead in total.
The killings became one of Australia's most high-profile domestic violence cases. Occurring just three months before the Port Arthur massacre, it remains among the country's worst mass shootings and has been cited in discussions of family violence and gun control in Australia.