EXCLUSIVE
Ryan Geoffrey Cole reportedly had a shooting on Wednesday – his 31st birthday
A trader who allegedly shot a mother and then shot a Good Samaritan who rushed to her aid in Central Queensland had his life saved as a teenager after being bitten by one of the world’s deadliest snakes.
Ryan Geoffrey Cole, 31, allegedly shot his neighbor Natalie Jane Frahm, 34, in the head and chest as she stopped in her car outside her home in Robb Place, South Mackay, on Wednesday afternoon.
James Trevor McGill, 66, who was on the street visiting his elderly mother, ran over to help Ms Frahm and was also reportedly shot in the chest. Ms Frahm died at the scene while Mr McGill was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Cole, who was celebrating his 31st birthday on the day of the alleged murder, made headlines in 2008 after he was bitten on the foot by a coastal Taipan – the third most venomous snake in the world.
Cole was 15 years old at the time and jumping into the Burnett River in his hometown of Mundubberra, about 390 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, when the snake struck him twice on the foot.
Natalie Frahm, 34, (pictured) has been identified as the alleged victim of the attack
Police are processing the scene at Robb Place, South Mackay, on Wednesday following the alleged double shooting
He began convulsing and bleeding from the mouth but was rescued by his brother Jakob, 16, and friends Scott Smith, Josh Allen, Lee Carsons and Torren Wood, who dragged him out of the waterhole, his foot bandaged with a T-shirt and called triple-0.
Cole was rushed to hospital and pumped with almost a liter of anti-venom to save his life.
Incredibly, it was the second time Cole was bitten by a snake.
“I think in the future I’ll have to be a little careful when I go out into the bush,” Cole told media at the time.
Cole’s older brother and friends received a bravery award in 2011 for their rescue efforts.
Tragically, Jakob Cole died the following year, in July 2012, at the age of 20.
Cole (left) made headlines in 2008 after he was bitten by – and survived – the world’s third most venomous land snake
Daily Australia understands the South Mackay property where Cole lived is owned by his mother, but it is unclear whether she also lived at the property.
Ms Frahm, a single mother, moved to Mackay several years ago from her hometown of Mount Isa, 1,230km west in outback Queensland.
The tragedy has rocked the quiet seaside suburb, which went into a massive emergency lockdown amid the alleged shootings.
Police will allege that Cole opened fire on Ms Frahm at around 4.30pm as she sat in her car with two teenage girls – her daughter and her daughter’s friend – before fleeing the scene in a Mitsubishi Triton.
The teenagers – aged 11 and 12 – fled to a nearby home to seek help before Mr McGill, who was in the area to visit his elderly mother, was reportedly shot.
Police were called and an exclusion zone was established at 5:20 p.m. as officers searched the area for the alleged shooter.
Cole was arrested outside a gas station on Bruce Highway near Hilton Street, about 1.2 miles away, around 7:45 p.m.
The incident forced police to seal off the area while they searched for the alleged shooter (photo, exclusion zone)
It is understood that Cole and Mrs Frahm did not know each other but lived on the same street.
A neighbor said she was shocked by the series of events and said she regularly saw Cole on the street.
“He seemed nice,” she said.
‘He’s been living there for a while. He seemed like a good style of man. He always drove by and smiled. I saw him working on his boat or with his carpenter’s cart.
‘[What allegedly happened] It’s all very sad.’
Cole appeared in the Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday morning via video link from the watchhouse charged with murder and attempted murder.
He was remanded in custody to appear in court again at a later date.