Kotara South shooter Warren Browne: Police launch internal investigation
Police have launched an internal investigation into how a Central Coast sheriff’s officer kept possession of several guns, including the weapon he used to murder a male friend of an ex-lover, despite being at the centre of a domestic violence complaint.
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- Warren Browne drove to ex-girlfriend’s house, shot dead another man
- Two men dead after double shooting in Kotara South
Police have launched an internal investigation into how a sheriff’s officer kept possession of several guns, including the shotgun he used to murder a friend of an ex-lover, despite being at the centre of a domestic violence complaint.
Warren Browne, 42, travelled 80km to cold-bloodedly shoot Williamtown RAAF worker
Anthony Beck on Saturday afternoon at the Kotara South home belonging to one-time lover Brooke Hamilton.
Browne, who had only been in a short-term relationship with Ms Hamilton before beginning weeks of harassment, then yelled out to the woman that he loved her before turning the gun on himself.
The Newcastle News can reveal that senior police are now investigating whether the shotgun, as well as several other firearms also licensed to Browne, should have been confiscated after Ms Hamilton had told police weeks before the shooting that she was being harassed by the killer.
Ms Hamilton’s mother confirmed that her daughter, aged in her 20s, had spoken to police about the constant contact — with Browne becoming increasingly angry — despite ending the brief relationship.
It is understood she told police she wanted to report the harassment but did not wish to take out an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO).
However, police standard operating procedures dictate that officers who take domestic violence reports should take out an ADVO on behalf of the complainant whether they wished for one or not.
The interim ADVO would also have meant that Browne’s firearms would have been taken off him weeks before he murdered Mr Beck, an engaged father and RAAF employee.
Lake Macquarie police district commander Superintendent Danny Sullivan confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched into the dealings officers had with Ms Hamilton.
The district’s complaint management team had taken carriage of the investigation.
Police are also preparing a brief for the coroner into the two deaths, which occurred in a leafy suburban street when Browne drove from his Terrigal home to Kotara South.
He blasted the shotgun through a glass, sliding front door, striking Mr Beck in the head and prompting Ms Hamilton to run for cover.
Browne began yelling her name before sitting down and turning the gun on himself.
The 42-year-old, who was a sheriff on the Central Coast and had boasted of being a bouncer for 17 years, was also a budding actor who said he wished to play a villain in a jail or police drama.