The following day, Tuesday 24 July, instead of going to the proposed ammunition drop-off location (where the police were waiting) the Governor brothers headed further east. At mid-morning they arrived at Michael O'Brien's selection at Poggy, about eighteen miles southwest of
Merriwa. O'Brien's wife Elizabeth, her teenaged son James and a nurse, Catherine Bennett, were sitting in the detached kitchen behind the house. Elizabeth was heavily pregnant and Mrs. Bennett was staying with her to assist with the birth. The brothers suddenly appeared at the kitchen door; Mrs. O'Brien said, "What do you want?" and Jimmy replied: "You speak civil. Surrender, or I will shoot you". With these words, Jimmy fired his gun at the women.<a href="
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Governor#cite_note-55"><span>[</span>55<span>]</span></a> Elizabeth and Bennett were shot several times, the former also struck by Joe's tomahawk, inflicting a fatal blow. Jimmy broke the rifle stock by using it to beat James to death.