Shooting of Sergeant David Maginnity
On 24 July 1864, Morgan approached two mounted troopers, Sergeant David Maginnity and Trooper Churchley, in the bush area between Tumbarumba and Tooma. For no apparent reason, he shot Maginnity under the heart. Churchley fled the scene (although he later insisted that his horse had bolted when the shot sounded), and left his colleague, who died from his wound. Churchley was later dismissed for cowardice.
After the attack was reported in the Sydney press, Morgan became identified as a brutal murderer; the government put a reward of £1000 on Morgan's head.
The site of the shooting holds occasional commemorations of the event. An alternative account has circulated in which Morgan did not shoot McGinnity, but the latter was hit by a bullet from another man.
Read more about this topic: Dan Morgan (bushranger)
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