source : the age
By Catherine Strohfeldt
A manhunt is under way for two men believed to have chased down and shot dead a much-loved sister and aunty in a suburban street north of Brisbane shortly after midnight on Sunday.
Police said 23-year-old Chloe Jade Mason, who was also known as Ceejay, may have been chased by the two men before she was fatally shot on Railway Parade in Caboolture, three days before Christmas.
Emergency services were called about 12.10am after the 23-year-old woman was found unconscious and not breathing on the footpath outside a Railway Parade residence.
Paramedics were unable to revive Mason, who was declared dead at the scene.
In a statement given to Nine News, her sister Hannah Mckone remembered Mason as an “incredible aunt” and “loyal sister”.
“Chloe was our beautiful sister, we love her deeply and her loss is hard to come to terms with, this close to the holidays too,” Mckone said.
“She was an incredible aunt to her nieces and nephews and a loyal sister. She would’ve gone to the ends of the earth for her family.
“Chloe was the strongest girl I’ve ever known and she changed the lives of everyone around her.”
A resident on Railway Parade told Nine News she “heard about three or four gunshots,” before a man yelled out expletives.
A specialist task force called Operation Whiskey Cortland has been established to investigate Mason’s death, Detective Inspector David Harbison said.
“[The victim] is a 23-year-old from the Caboolture area, [but] she doesn’t have any connection to that specific address,” he told reporters on Sunday afternoon.
“Early investigations indicate the deceased was assaulted by two male persons, who may have chased her down Railway Parade.
“This is a suspicious death and police are treating the matter as a homicide.”
Harbison said police were also investigating reports of several gunshots heard about midnight.
“During [the suspected] assault, the deceased received a gunshot wound, [but] it’s too early in the investigation to provide any further advice in respect of that,” he said.
Officers believe the young woman knew her killers.
Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie sought to assure residents in the area on Monday that there was no broader risk to the community.
“[It] wasn’t a random incident … the victim and the offenders were known to each other,” he said.
“I’ve been informed that there’s no risk for the broader community – that it was a targeted attack.”
Police, including local and specialist homicide detectives, spent much of Sunday speaking with residents along the suburban street.
“Police have door-knocked that entire area and a number of people are assisting us – and we thank them for that, for coming forward – so they’re being treated as witnesses at this point,” Harbison said.
“We have a number of witnesses that are currently assisting us, however we have no person in custody …
Chloe Jade Mason died on a suburban street in Caboolture on Sunday night.Credit: Facebook
“It’s an incredibly sad event for this woman and her family … it’s a tragedy to lose a young life in such a violent manner, so we will get to the bottom of it.
“It’s the best we can do for the family at the moment, but we wish our condolences.”
Police have urged anyone with information – including about any suspicious activity in the street, or dashcam footage of Railway Parade from 11.40pm on Saturday to shortly after midnight – to contact Police Link 131 444 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
“Every little bit of information could be vital to us,” Harbison said.
