Chilling audio reveals firefight between police officers and gunmen

Disturbing police radio has captured the moment officers confronted gunmen who killed two cops in rural Queensland.

Disturbing police radio has captured the moment officers confronted gunmen who killed two cops in rural Queensland.

Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were killed at a property in Wieambilla, about three hours west of Brisbane, on Monday afternoon as they carried out a missing persons call.

A neighbour, now identified as Alan Dare, was also shot and killed in the attack, which sparked a massive manhunt for the offenders.

The killers mercilessly then shot her and Mr Arnold dead at close range.

Tactical response officers were rushed in before brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train, and the latter’s wife Stacey, were shot dead.

Now chilling audio has emerged of the moment those officers confronted the gunmen.

”We believe POI 2 may be discharging rounds. Shots fired,” a male officer says over the radio.

“It appears POI 2 is attempting to reload. POI 1 potentially taken a round here. POI 1 no movement. No movement from number 2 and appears to be blood on the ground,” he adds.

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Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot and killed at a Queensland property. Pictures: Facebook

A crew each from Tara and Chinchilla Police Stations had arrived at the remote property at about 4.40pm, and a source close to the investigation told NCA NewsWire what unfolded next was “very, very rapid”.

Ms McCrow and Mr Arnold arrived in the first vehicle, and met up with a second car containing Constable Keely Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, both aged 28, before approaching the property.

Ms McCrow and Mr Arnold then honked their horn to alert the residents of their presence.

When there was no movement from inside the house, the four officers got out of their cars and approached the house.

Ms McCrow and Mr Arnold jumped over the locked fence, with the other two following behind.

Seconds later, a shower of bullets descended on the four officers.

Ms McCrow and Mr Arnold were instantly hit, and fell to the ground.

NCA Newswire understands Constable Kirk was also shot in the leg in the same hail of gunfire, but managed to make it back to his police car as he hadn’t jumped the fence.

The offenders gave chase and fired into his car as he drove away, calling for help, causing him to become showered in shards of glass.

As the assailants tried to hunt down Constable Kirk, his colleague Constable Brough had managed to escape on foot into dense scrubland.

The young officer had only been on the police force for eight weeks, with Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers revealing a bushfire had been lit by the gunmen allegedly in an attempt to force the remaining two officers out of hiding before backup arrived.

Mr Leavers revealed the team of 16 special forces officers sent in to retrieve the dead bodies of their colleagues and Mr Dare and to extract Constable Brough from the burning bush were also shot at in a final sickening act.

Constable Keeley Brough has been named as one of the officers who survived the horrific shooting. Picture: Keely Brough/Facebook

Neighbour Alan Dare (left) was shot and killed during an ambush on a property in Wieambilla on the Darling Downs yesterday. Picture: Supplied.

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He tadded that the officers “never had a chance” and this is “not what you expect” when responding to a call about a missing person.

Mr Leavers claimed after the rookie officer ran into the bushes, a fire was lit by the alleged attackers to “try and coax her out”.

“She did not know whether she was going to be shot or she was going to be burnt alive,” he said.

“I know she was sending messages to loved ones saying she was at a point where she thought it was her time.”

Surviving officer had ‘always wanted to be a cop’

Ms Brough was just weeks into her dream job when the deadly shooting unfolded, with a blog post from the rookie cop explaining how hard she had to work to make it onto the police force.

The 28-year-old was also a qualified personal trainer and ran a website where she posted about her fitness journey and her dream of becoming a police officer.

In one blog post, created in July 2019, Ms Bough explained the fitness testing requirements for the Queensland Police and what she had been doing to prepare.

She said she had been receiving a number of messaged from people asking her about the fitness requirements for the Queensland Police, revealing she was a member of most recruitment groups on Facebook and “know the process back to front”.

“Long story short, to pass the fitness testing for QPS was the long-term goal I wrote when I first saw my PT,” she wrote.

“In fact, it still is my long-term goal, I’ve always wanted to be a cop.

“Once I had decided what I was doing with my life, I hopped onto the QPS recruitment site and checked out top to bottom what I needed to do.”

Ms Brough had only been on the force for eight weeks. Picture: Keeley Brough/Facebook

She said she initially left the fitness part of the requirements until last because, at the time, she was “the opposite of fit”.

Ms Brough said she trained for almost nine months before she applied for the first time.

However, despite “nailing” the fitness test, she was unsuccessful in her first application due to maths not being her strong point.

The officer offered an exclusive service to QPS applications wanting to improve their fitness ahead of the test.

Officer’s ‘brave’ act as she hid from gunmen

Mr Leavers said one couldn’t “comprehend” what must have been going through Brough’s mind at the time.

“She was in contact with her other colleagues trying to assure them we could get support to go and assist their fallen colleagues at that point in time,” Mr Leavers said.

“All the police involved yesterday, they were just brave, brave people to put their lives on the line to try and do their job.”

Mr Leavers described Ms Brough as an “amazing young policewoman”.

“She’s been in the police eight to nine weeks since she was sworn in,” he said.

“And when she believed her life was about to come to an end, she never stopped trying to do the right thing and communicate with her colleagues. She tried to do what she possibly could.”

Queensland Police union president Ian Leavers said the young officer had only been on the force for eight weeks when the tragedy unfolded. Picture: Brad Fleet

The incised unfolded on Wains Road at Wieambilla. Picture Harry Clarke/Country Caller

The young officer was eventually rescued by a 16-strong extraction team of police who also ­recovered the bodies of the two murdered officers.

Mr Leavers said the Special Operations team were “confronted by the murderous trio” when they arrived at the property.

“They resolved the situation and they used the weapons they had and the people who executed our police, they’re also deceased,” he said.

“Look, as much things happen, we try to resolve things as peacefully as we possibly can, but that was not the case. It was a tragedy.

“We’re very fortunate because for the entirety of the time, all police from the first response police to our special operations police, they were continually under fire. It’s something out of the movies that you think will never ever happen.”

Former school principal Nathaniel Train was one of the people killed by police at the Queensland property.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the bravery of the surviving officers was “unbelievable”.

“To think that they survived the scene, let alone then got out to make phone calls and call for assistance, was just extraordinary,” she said.

Commissioner Carroll said she would be meeting with Constable Brough soon, adding the officer has already talked people through what happened.

“The people that I have spoken to cannot believe how she survived and what she did during that period of time,” she said.

Officers killed ‘execution style’

After the four officers were sprayed with bullets as they approached the Queensland property, two of the wounded officers were seen to be ­approached by at least two shooters clad in military-style camouflage ­fatigues, according to The Australian.

Horrifyingly, the officers were then shot execution-style where they lay.

A witness reported seeing the suspects then take the slain police officers’ pistols, according to the newspaper.

Mr Leavers told ABC News Breakfast that the families of those killed and police officers all across Australia were “suffering” right now.

“What happened yesterday is two police officers murdered in cold blood. They were executed. They’re both under 30. Their lives have been cut short,” he said.

The officers had attended the property following a request from NSW Police regarding a missing person, who was later revealed to be former school principal, Nathaniel Train.

He had disappeared from Dubbo in the NSW Central West in early December, with police and family holding serious concerns for his welfare.

The Wieambilla property on the Western Downs where two police officers were gunned down.

Dubbo police are understood to have lodged the request for assistance with their Queensland colleagues, with insiders telling the Telegraph one of Train’s relatives was known to have an intense distrust of police.

Last week, NSW Police issued an appeal for public assistance to locate Nathaniel Train, 46, who was last seen in Dubbo on 16 December, 2021, however, he remained in contact with his family until Sunday October 9, 2022.

He was reported missing to officers from Central North Police District on Sunday, December 4 when he could not be contacted by family or friends, with police and relatives holding “serious concerns for Nathaniel’s welfare”.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed there had been three fatalities – two police officers and one member of the public – in the hours before the suspects were also killed.

“It is with deep sadness that I confirm the deaths of three people, including two officers, during an incident in the Western Downs late this afternoon,” Ms Carroll said.

“Four officers attended a property on Waynes Road in Wieambilla in relation to a reported missing person from New South Wales. Tragically, while in attendance, two officers were shot and declared deceased at the scene.

“A member of the public was also shot and is deceased. Another officer received a bullet graze and is receiving treatment in hospital. A fourth officer managed to escape the property and is also receiving treatment.”

– with Megan Palin and Alexis Carey

Originally published as Chilling audio reveals firefight between police officers and gunmen