Police Minister Troy Grant has provided an update on two officers who were shot in an incident in northern New South Wales on Friday.

Just before 10pm, 74-year-old Eric John Newman began choking his wife Lesley as she was getting ready for bed.

She managed to escape and called Triple Zero while her husband armed himself with a high powered rifle and sat on the balcony.

As officers approached the house, Newman fired a shot, hitting a male sergeant and female senior constable in the head and neck.

A third officer, a female probationary constable who has been in the job for just a few weeks, helped pull the senior officer to safety.

Eric Newman, an avid big game hunter, then turned the gun on himself.

Image: Eric and Lesley Newman (Facebook)

Sergeant Mark Johnston and Senior Constable Helen McMurtrie were flown to Gold Coast University Hospital to undergo surgery.

Senior Constable McMurtrie remains in a serious but stable condition and may require further surgery, while Sergeant Johnston is in a stable condition.

Following the critical incident in Glen Innes last night, our charity partner @NSWPoliceLegacy have established a fundraising page for the officers involved and their families.
If you would like to support the injured officers, visit https://t.co/vq7ShBrWGF @PANSWMSC @nswpolice

— PoliceAssociationNSW (@PoliceAssocNSW) January 19, 2019

Minister Troy Grant tells Steve Price “they’re doing unbelievably well considering the circumstances”.

“They’re obviously shocked, they’re obviously doing it tough,” he says.

A critical incident investigation is underway with no early indication as to what made Eric Newman snap and go on the rampage.

“Getting those answers may be more difficult than we thought,” says Mr Grant.

Click PLAY below for the full interview