Wieambilla inquest: Kerry Dare’s call to triple-0 reveals her uncertainty about husband Alan after he was shot

Harrowing audio of the wife of a man killed in a horrific ambush attack speaking to triple zero operators has been released.

Harrowing audio of a wife trying to find out more information about her husband after he’d been shot by their neighbours reveals the confusion and panic she faced about not knowing whether the man she loved was alive or dead.

Alan Dare was gunned down after he went to inspect smoke billowing from his neighbour’s property in Wieambilla on December 12, 2022.

Alan Dare was killed when he went to investigate smoke.

Alan Dare had filmed the fire he went to inspect moments before he was shot by the Train family.

But the good Samaritan hadn’t known he was walking into a fatal ambush after his neighbours Gareth Train and his brother Nathaniel had murdered Queensland Police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow.

A coronial inquest continues to examine the day the two police officers, Mr Dare, the Train brother’s and Gareth’s wife Stacey died.

The Train family were fatally shot by SERT officers hours after the ambush.

Previously the inquest had heard evidence from Mr Dare’s wife, Kerry, who had called triple-0 about hearing gunshots earlier in the day before her husband went to investigate with their neighbour Victor Lewis.

Kerry Dare, widow of Alan Dare, told the inquest about how she was uncertain about what had happened to his husband for hours after he was shot. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Now for the first time, more audio of her calls with Townsville-based operator Emma Jean Donald, who took the triple-0 call from Mr Dare’s wife, can be revealed.

In the audio released by the coroner, Mrs Dare and her neighbours, Mr Lewis and his wife, had been making their way to the police command set up nearby the 251 Wains Rd property owned by the Train family.

Mr Lewis can be heard telling the others he didn’t see who shot Mr Dare.

As the group are driving, they pull over and Mrs Dare tells the operator she’s confused about the decision to stop.

“I thought we were going to Chinchilla Road to see the cops,” she can be heard in the audio.

“You don’t understand, my husband’s been shot. What the f– k don’t you understand?”

It’s understood the Lewis’ were speaking to other neighbours while also on the phone with police.

Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were also gunned down at the property.

Mrs Dare tells the operator she’ll walk to the police command instead of waiting for her neighbours to drive her.

“If I start walking, Al’s been shot and they’re too busy talking on the phone, I need to get to him,” she said.

“They’re shooting at that property, 151, 251, that, that idiot across the road from Vic’s.

“There was gunshots and they’ve just shot my husband and he’s laying on the road dead and these people are too busy f– king telling stories.”

But when her neighbours told to wait at the property for the police, Mrs Dare said they were told to “meet them out on the f– king road”.

“I’m going, I’ll meet you out there,” she said.

“This is f– king ridiculous, this is f– king ridiculous.

“No, (don’t) tell me to f– king calm down... yeah you’ve got your husband.”

In the audio, Mr Lewis can be heard telling Mrs Dare that police told them “to go down there”.

Victor Lewis (centre) went to investigate smoke billowing from the Wains Rd property with his neighbour Alan Dare. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Mrs Dare replied: “Yeah right away from the action, not saving anybody”.

Minutes later, she tells the operator that she’s made it to the police command on foot.

“You’re there, you’re at the police now,” the operator asked.

“Are you talking, are you going to go talk to the police.”

Mrs Dare replied “yes” and that she was going to stay there.

“I’m not leaving,” she said.

The operator tells her she’s going to terminate the call now she knows she’s safe.

Previously, the inquest had heard evidence from Ms Donald about the triple-0 calls she had with Mrs Dare before and after it was known Mr Dare had been shot.

Ms Donald told the inquest that when she imputed the information Mrs Dare was telling her about hearing “big bangs”, an alert popped up on her screen about police being “in trouble”.

“I knew there was a police in trouble in the area at the time,” Ms Donald said.

Triple-0 operator Emma Donald had taken the call form Kerry Dare. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

The inquest was told that while Ms Donald continued to update her system with information she was receiving from Mrs Dare as the afternoon progressed, which included that Mr Dare had gotten into his car to investigate the fire.

She was later asked the communication co-ordinator (commco) whether it was safe to send QFES to the scene.

At 5.28pm a message was added to the system that read: “Do not leave property. Active offenders shooting at police. Do not attach QFES at this stage”.

Ms Donald told the inquest that was the first time she became aware there were active shooters in the Wains Rd area.

Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train had set up an ambush for the police.

Moments later another message was then sent asking Ms Donald to tell Mrs Dare to “get husband and neighbour back immediately”.

However, Ms Donald didn’t receive the message until 5.30pm when she replied: ‘Calling informant back, apologies commco’.

But by the time Mrs Dare answered her phone at 5.31pm, she told Ms Donald she knew that “someone shot her husband” after Mr Lewis told her.

It was later determined by police Mr Dare had been fatally wounded but it’s unclear which member of the Train family killed him.

Originally published as Wieambilla inquest: Kerry Dare’s call to triple-0 reveals her uncertainty about husband Alan after he was shot