A KERANG woman shot in the neck by her ex-husband at the weekend was a kind, innocent person who did not deserve what happened, her sister says.

Sonia Gray was shot in her Kerang home on Saturday by former partner Greg Murray. 

Mrs Gray's partner, David Gray, also suffered bullet wounds while trying to wrestle the gun from Murray. Six children were at home at the time. 

Following the attack, Murray, 43, fled the scene and shot his current partner and himself in their Murrabit West home. 

Police found the bodies early Sunday morning.

Mrs Gray remains in a stable condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. 

Mrs Gray's sister, who did not want to be named, refuted media reports that Murray was denied access to his children.

She said he had fortnightly access to his three children and was not the "hard done by man he was made out to be". 

"He shot his ex-wife, he shot his current partner to death and all those children in the house could have been shot, too," the sister said. 

"The blame shouldn't be on Sonia. 

"His partner (who was killed) was innocent and had children of her own - what about them? And what about the children who were home at the time of the shooting?"

Mrs Gray's sister said the children were encouraged to spend time with their father.

"Even after everything that happened in the failed marriage, she still allowed him to see his kids," she said. 

"The children had called him for his birthday in July and he saw his son every few weeks."

Inspector Jamie Templeton said Murray had no criminal record, no intervention orders and did not have a gun licence. 

"There was no history or signs of violence," he said. 

"We couldn't possibly see anything coming. This is a horrific crime, and traumatic for all involved. It’s a terrible set of circumstances."

Murray went armed with a shotgun he took from a relative to the home of Mrs Gray in Kerang at 11.30pm on Saturday, police said. The couple had split up about six years ago and the woman, 42, was living with her new husband, a local butcher aged 47, in Lloyd Street.

There were six children inside the house at the time - three to the dairy farmer and his former partner, two from his former partner and her new husband and a friend of one of the children.

Mrs Gray was shot in the hand and neck before Mr Gray and a neighbour wrestled the gun off Murray.

Police said Murray fled after the struggle, taking a second gun with him to his property 30 kilometres away in Salau Road, Murrabit West.

He dumped his car and walked a kilometre to his house.

When police arrived at 4.20am, they found his 41-year-old partner, from nearby Pental Island, dead inside and Murray's body inside another car parked in the carport. It is unclear whether Murray killed his partner before travelling to Kerang.

Mrs Gray underwent surgery in a Melbourne hospital on Monday and Mr Gray has been discharged from hospital.