A financial planner and father stabbed his two bosses at a Gippsland accountancy firm before fleeing and turning a gun on himself.
The shocking multiple stabbing occurred on Monday morning at RGM Financial Group in Moe, in Victoria's east, where the three men were co-workers.
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Man dead after triple-stabbing
One man is dead and two others injured after a stabbing at an accountancy firm on Kirk St in Moe. Vision courtesy Seven Network.
Financial planner and father Carl Richardson arrived at work as per usual at 8.30am.
Within half an hour he had stabbed two of his bosses - RGM partner and Racing Victoria board member Pearse Morgan and accounting director Joe Auciello - in an unexpected and frenzied attack.
Mr Auciello, 31, was stabbed first, slashed to the neck and mouth.
Mr Morgan, well-known in the racing industry and a lifetime Gippsland resident, told a friend from his hospital bed on Monday that he "heard a commotion" before seeing his colleague being "stabbed and stabbed".
"I saw my partner being stabbed and stabbed," he told his friend.
"I ran out and tried to intervene and then I went blank."
Mr Auciello managed to break free and, bleeding profusely, ran next door to the Caltex service station to raise the alarm.
Mr Morgan, 58, was stabbed in his left eye, abdomen and arm, but was conscious.
Pearse Morgan, one of the victims in the Moe stabbing Photo: www.rgmgroup.com.au
Mr Auciello, captain of local soccer side Falcons 2000, was flown to The Alfred in a critical condition.
His condition was listed as serious but stable on Monday evening.
Joe Auciello was airlifted to The Alfred hospital.
Mr Richardson fled the scene, his white shirt covered in blood. He was found dead on the ground next to his car in Hayes Road in Newborough, a small town near Moe where he lived.
He was a father and had turned 48 on Saturday.
A family friend, who had known Mr Richardson for 40 years, said he was a "highly regarded" member of the Moe community.
He described him as an "exemplary" father, who doted on his two secondary school aged children, and a "down-to-earth lovely bloke".
"They are all in shock, the wife is shocked, the kids are shocked," he said.
"He's never been in trouble in his life. None of us know why."
The friend, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Richardson had not expressed any ill will towards his colleagues at RGM.
He said Mr Richardson's family was "devastated" for the families of the injured men.
"Because, what did they do wrong?" he said.
The friend said the family was now most concerned for Mr Richardson's children.
"They can't understand what happened," he said.
Police on Hayes Road, where Carl Richardson was found dead. Photo: Chloe Booker
Police investigate after a stabbing in Moe. Photo: Channel Nine
Inspector Dean Thomas said the attack was out-of-character, and did not believe threats or altercations had occurred previously in the office.
"It was very traumatic, everyone was severely stressed," Inspector Thomas said.
"They were all taken by surprise and everyone did what they could to survive and assist others
"We're just trying to piece it all together to understand the motive."
About 15 people were in the office at the time.
One of the victims ran to the service station next door to raise the alarm. Photo: Shaun Mallia/Latrobe Valley Express
The RGM office, next door to a Caltex petrol station in Moe. Photo: Courtesy of Seven News
Racing Victoria chief executive Bernard Saundry said Mr Morgan was awaiting surgery at Latrobe Regional Hospital on Monday night.
"Our thoughts and best wishes are with Pearse, his partner Sonia and the Morgan family following this tragic event," Mr Saundry said.
"I know the racing industry will join me in wishing him a speedy recovery. Pearse is a highly valued member of the Racing Victoria Board and we look forward to welcoming him back to duties as soon as his health permits."
The investigation is ongoing.
The nearby school, Moe Albert Street Primary, went into lockdown for a short time as police established two crime scenes in the town..
Lifeline 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
- with Sam Darroch, Latrobe Valley Express.
