| Joseph Schwab | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | 1961 Germany |
| Died | June 1987 Australia |
| Cause of death | Shot to death by Western Australia Police Tactical Response Group |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims: | 5 |
| Span of killings | June 1987–June 1987 |
| Country | Australia |
| State(s) | Northern Territory, Western Australia |
Joseph Schwab (1961 - June 1987) was a serial killer who murdered five tourists in the Northern Territory and Western Australia in June 1987. Schwab was dubbed "The Kimberley Killer" by the Australian press after the region in which he committed the murders.
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In June 1987,[1] a father and son were shot dead while fishing on the Victoria River in the Northern Territory. Police were unable to determine a motive and roadblocks were set up, but the killer escaped capture.[2]
Days later three tourists–a newly engaged couple and their friend–were shot dead at Pentecost River Crossing near Wyndham, Western Australia. A seven-member team of police officers from the Tactical Response Group and an officer from the forensic division were sent by chartered aircraft from Perth to Kununurra to assist Kimberley police with the investigation.
A helicopter pilot, Peter Leutenegger, from Napier Downs station, raised the alarm after spotting a camouflaged vehicle in bushland near Fitzroy Crossing.[2] Because police were uncertain as to whether the vehicle belonged to the gunman they deployed an airplane to flush him out. A man armed with a semi-automatic weapon emerged from the bushes and fired at the police and the plane. Police returned fire, killing the gunman.[2]
The killer was identified as Joseph Schwab, a 26-year-old German tourist. A security guard in his native country, his motive for the killings is unknown.[2]
Names of victims:
The crime was featured in a 2007 episode of Crime Investigation Australia entitled "The Kimberley Killer".[3]