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MOREE Plains Shire mayor Katrina Humphries has expressed her horror and desolation over the death of a Tamworth environment and heritage officer, but says she's not surprised simmering tensions over environmental policy has ended in tragedy.
Cr Humphries said her first thoughts though were with the family of 51-year-old Glendon Turner.
"It's had a huge impact up here but the biggest impact is on the Tamworth community," she said. "Our hearts go out to the family of this man, his friends, neighbours and work colleagues. You have a man, a father, who goes out to do his job and doesn't come home.
"I am so terribly sorry it has come to this."
Cr Humphries said she wasn't surprised by the tragic turn of events.
"The frustration that people have been pushed to under the likes of the Water Act, coal seam gas, mining, native vegetation - something like this was going to happen," she said.
"Not that that in any way condones what has happened because you can't do this kind of thing out of frustration - it's wrong and it achieves nothing."
Cr Humphries said she had known the accused's family for years, describing them as hardworking, community-minded people who were well respected.
To know he'd been charged with such an horrific crime was a complete shock, she said.
There would be considerable ramifications from the tragedy, Cr Humphries said, and policies around land and water use had to be addressed.
"We obviously have an issue when a man goes out to do his job and gets shot," she said. "First and foremost our responsibility is to the family of this man, but down the track a lot of serious work must be done on these issues because it must never happen again."
CLICK HERE to leave a tribute to Mr Turner or send his family a message