Teen shot dead on NSW mid-north coast

Police are questioning a youth over the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy on the NSW mid-north coast. The boy was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head at Koonwarra St in West Haven, just south of Port Macquarie, about midday (AEST) on Wednesday.

"Police found a male deceased with a gunshot wound. A post mortem will determine the exact cause of death," a police spokeswoman said.
Officers were speaking to another youth and a number of other people who were at the scene of the shooting, the spokeswoman said. "We are speaking to another youth and we have seized a firearm from the scene. Our crime scene people are out there now and the investigation is ongoing."

It was unclear at this stage if the shooting was deliberate or a tragic accident, the spokeswoman said.

Nathan Poole lives a short distance from where the boy was shot.
The professional fisherman was making a net at the back of his property when he heard the fatal shot. "It sounded like a large piece of wood hitting the ground. I heard a loud bang and some yelling. I didn't pay much attention. I thought it was a domestic dispute."

Mr Poole said he wasn't aware of the tragedy until he saw emergency vehicles in the street when he went to collect his mail after lunch.
Another neighbour, Nanette Court, described the street as "very quiet" and said the family of the dead boy had lived at the property for about four or five months and kept to themselves.