Frahm was leaving for a sporting activity when a neighbour allegedly shot her dead in her car in front of two girls, one of whom was reportedly her daughter.

Ryan Geoffrey Cole, 31, has been accused of killing her and shooting a good Samaritan in Mackay, north Queensland, after the girls raised the alarm.

Police hailed the bravery of the girls, aged 11 and 12, after Cole was charged with murder on Thursday.

Cole was a neighbour but did not know the 34-year-old Frahm who was parked in her driveway ready to leave with the children on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

“They were heading out to some sort of sporting activity,” Detective Acting Superintendent Emma Novosel told reporters.

Cole allegedly approached the woman as she sat in the vehicle with the girls before shooting her.

“It’s obviously a tragic incident where two young girls have witnessed a violent death,” Supt Novosel said.

“I want to acknowledge and commend their bravery for actually managing to remove themselves from such a dangerous situation and raise the alarm.

“It’s incredibly brave and I can’t even begin to imagine the trauma that they must be experiencing.”

The woman died at the scene.

The girls fled the car unharmed.

James McGill, 66, was visiting his elderly mother who lived nearby when he came to Frahm’s aid after the girls asked for help.

He suffered hand and chest injuries after allegedly being shot by Cole but is in a stable condition in hospital following surgery.

Cole had what witnesses described as a revolver-type weapon, police said.

He is accused of driving away, sparking an emergency lockdown of the area and a police manhunt.

Cole was arrested outside a nearby service station hours later.

“Certainly at this stage, the motives behind the attack on this woman and man are unknown so there’ll be further investigations to determine what’s bought about this incident,” Novosel said.

The accused had “very minimal” interactions with police in the past and officers had not previously been called to his street for help, she said.

“The community is reeling. This is the sort of thing that just doesn’t happen in Mackay,” Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson told AAP.

“A random, outrageous act of violence is something that takes a lot of time to absorb – it’s just such a tragic event.”

Frahm’s parents have flown in from Mount Isa, with floral tributes starting to arrive outside her South Mackay home.

She was remembered as a kind person and keen athlete, with her local Thai boxing club among many paying tribute.

“Natalie always had the most infectious smile, always helping where ever she could, making close friends with many of the other members,” the club’s Facebook post said.

The club also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for the girls, with more than $9000 already pledged on Friday.

The mayor hailed the bravery of the girls as well as McGill who approached the alleged gunman after answering their calls for help.

“How good was that? It’s a typical Australian reaction I think – you go in and help,” he said.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski described the Mackay incident as a “horrid situation”.

“A life has been lost … (in) a really terrible act of violence by the offender and another person has been seriously injured,” he said.

Gollschewski said the accused previously had a weapons licence but it was revoked in 2021, with 11 firearms taken from him.

“That was as a result of his conduct and other charges that he’d faced that the weapons were removed from him and the licence was revoked,” he said.

“We’ll look really closely not only at what occurred yesterday, but the lead-up to that in terms of his access to weapons and how he might have got that weapon.”

Gollschewski said additional powers were being sought via a firearms prohibition scheme before state parliament to thwart similar incidents.

Cole was charged with murder and attempted murder, appearing via videolink in Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday.

He was remanded in custody.