Qld police shooting: Community numb after six die in ambush, shootout
Disturbing police radio has captured the moment cop killers were gunned down in a firefight with specialist police in rural Queensland on Monday.
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Chilling police radio has captured the moment police shot dead three gun-toting family members after landing in a helicopter on a remote Queensland property where two young police officers were murdered, another wounded and a neighbour killed during a routine inquiry about a missing school principal.
Four police officers, all aged under 30, walked into an ambush at a property on the western Darling Downs on Monday afternoon while looking for disgruntled former school principal Nathaniel Train, who had been reported missing in country NSW.
The rural property on Wains Rd in Wieambilla belonged to Nathaniel’s brother Gareth, a doomsday conspiracy theorist with a hatred for police, and his wife Stacey, a former schoolteacher.
Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were shot dead and their service weapons taken, as well as a police radio that the trio would use to monitor police movements.
Both officers were shot repeatedly at close range after falling to the ground.
Another young officer, Constable Randall Kirk, was shot in the leg but escaped in a police vehicle while his partner, Constable Keely Brough, fled into the bush.
The trio pursued her, setting fire to the scrub in an effort to flush her out, and continued to fire rounds into the trees.
A terrified Constable Brough, who was sworn in only eight weeks ago, used her mobile phone to provide information to police and texted her family believing she was about to be killed.
She managed to get to safety but a neighbour, Alan Dare, who arrived at the property’s front gate to investigate the commotion, was gunned down by members of the Train family.
Theories, fires and killers: Qld’s cold-blooded ambush explained
Police who rushed to the scene set up a cordon around the site as officers from the elite Special Emergency Response team flew to the property in a helicopter. Those officers surrounded the home and were involved in a lengthy gunbattle with the Trains before shooting all three dead.
Now chilling audio has emerged, revealing the moment the killers were shot.
“We believe POI (person of interest) 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.
A tearful Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll praised the bravery of the police involved in the incident, describing it as a “miracle” that the two young officers had managed to escape with their lives.
“The scene is unimaginable, it’s distressing and in my view, those officers did not stand a chance – and I don’t know how two got out alive,” she said.
“There was considerable … weaponry involved in what took place yesterday.
“To think they survived the scene, let alone then got out to make phone calls and call for assistance was just extraordinary.
“I will shortly meet with Keely and I know that she’s talked people already through what took place, and the people that I have spoken to cannot believe how she survived and what she did during that period of time.”
Ms Carroll confirmed a 16-person extraction team entered the property under fire to recover the bodies of constables Arnold and McCrow.
“They had to get in there,” she said.
“That’s the first thing you think about is: ‘I need to get in to make an assessment. How are my officers? Are they still alive? What backup do we need?’
“You have to get in there. And they did that extraordinarily well knowing that they were going to be under fire.”
Ms Carroll said both murdered police officers were highly respected and had a passion for policing.
Constable Arnold, a triplet and talented athlete, was sworn in in March 2020 and Constable McCrow, who previously worked for the Crime and Corruption Commission, was sworn in in June 2021.
They began their careers in the Dalby division before moving to Tara police station.
About 200 locals gathered at the Tara police station on Tuesday, where a minute’s silence was held for the fallen officers.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the officers paid the ultimate sacrifice by simply doing their job.
“They were both amazing people who were well respected by their colleagues and those who were close to them,” he said.
“I spoke with Matthew’s father last night. It’s hard to know what to say.
“He was devastated and still processing what was occurring, and our thoughts go out to Matthew’s parents and Rachel’s family as well.
“I know around Queensland flowers are being delivered to many police stations and the public support that is continuing to flow in really makes a difference for hardworking men and women of police, not only in Queensland but right across Australia.
“That support means so much to us and we will continue to do our job and we will be responding to calls for service today and tomorrow and continuing to look after the community because that is in our DNA.”
The grieving sister of slain neighbour Mr Dare, 58, spoke about her brother’s caring nature.
“I’m still in shock,” Robynne Dare said.
“Al would go out of his way to help whoever he could. It’s a very sad time for all our family.
“I’m not even sure Christmas will exist for us this year.”
The incident is being investigated by police, including homicide detectives and officers from the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.
The state coroner has been notified.
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