Michael John Warner jailed over Queanbeyan shooting spree
Armed with his 12-gauge double barrel shotgun, Michael John Warner stalked the streets of his NSW hometown, forcing police to dodge bullets and locals to run for their lives. Today, The Sunday Telegraph reveals how Warner’s rampage was brought to an end by a country cop. MULTIMEDIA SPECIAL
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With his pants weighed down by all the ammunition in his pockets, Michael John Warner stalked the streets of his town, pointing his gun at anyone who crossed his path.
Usually a kind, gentle man respected by his friends and church, on the morning of September 15, 2018, Warner was suffering a mental health episode.
And, with his 12-gauge double barrel shotgun in his hands, the 61-year-old was on his way to the Queanbeyan Police Station.
It was up to one country cop to stop him.
This month, Warner was sentenced to at least two years behind bars for the shooting spree that saw locals running for their lives and police dodging bullets.
MORE FROM AVA BENNY-MORRISON
Extraordinary steps taken to track down Aussie drug kingpin
Coronavirus mask shipment brings elective surgery hope
Now the remarkable actions of those police officers who ended the active shooter emergency without any fatalities can be detailed.
While many police shootings are lethal, Warner survived and the community he once terrorised is now rallying around him.
According to references from friends and family, Warner had always been an extremely caring and gentle man.
He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 19 but managed his mental health and leaned on his faith.
The devout Catholic parked his four wheel drive in the same spot every weekend outside St Raphael’s Church, a five-minute drive from the home he owned and lived in alone.
He had a firearms licence, even after disclosing his mental health issues to authorities. In his 61 years, he had only been in strife with law for traffic infringements.
But, according to close friends, he had struggled to overcome several obstacles in his life, including the death of his sister, his father — who worked as a prime ministerial driver — and aunt.
In 2018, Warner was feeling anxious, increasingly depressed and, while friends noticed a change in his demeanour, they never expected him to do what he did.
Warner’s night on September 14, 2018 started at Hotel Queanbeyan.
He rarely drank more than two beers in one sitting so his aggressive behaviour caught bar staff off guard.
Warner was kicked out after punching someone in the face.
He told the security guard on the way out: “There is two psychotic people in the pub and in the world. I want to get rid of them all and with you by my side we can get rid of them all.”
At 1.17am on September 15, Warner called triple-0 and asked for police to come around because his neighbour was practising witchcraft.
When the operator warned it may take time for police to get there, Warner said: “I’ll go to the police station in Queanbeyan”.
He grabbed one of his shotguns — the firearm he used to hunt rabbits on camping trips — and walked out the door.
A regretful Warner would later tell police that he was in a psychotic state and feared somebody was trying to break into his house.
“That’s why I took a shotgun down Crawford Street … as I thought all the cars were out to get me,” he wrote in an apology letter tendered in court.
At 3.40am, Warner pointed his gun at a passenger in a car driving down Crawford St. He fired a single shot but missed.
Minutes later, a paper delivery driver came across Warner. Warner pointed the gun at the driver who put his foot on the accelerator as pellets peppered the front of his truck.
The driver hid in the loading dock of a shopping centre and, over the course of 40 minutes, counted 12 more gunshots.
Warner shot at a woman who was in her car on her way to work.
The pellets hit the front of her car and tore a hole in the driver’s side door.
Miraculously the woman was uninjured and raced to Queanbeyan Police Station, where she hid.
By that point, triple-0 calls were pouring in.
Senior Constable Stuart Hartley and Senior Constable Rebecca Kendrick pulled into Crawford St but had to abandon their unmarked police car when Warner fired two rounds about 30 metres away from them.
By a stroke of luck, Senior Constable Hartley was the only officer on duty who was a “firearms specialist”.
He had been in the State Protection Group, a tactical unit that dealt with higher powered armoury and high risk situations, such as active shooters.
Court documents detail how Senior Constable Hartley decided his service revolver “was incapable of attaining accuracy over distance”.
He ran back to the police station and grabbed a M4 rifle, bulletproof vest and a helmet.
Meanwhile, Warner, who was yelling: “Come on, kill me!”, shot at a garbage truck driver who had his 12-year-old son in the passenger seat.
The driver reversed out of the street as pellets hit the front of the truck. He also pulled a police officer off the street and into his vehicle to get her out of harm’s way in the process.
The man used his truck to block the street before he and his son made a run for it across the Queanbeyan Bridge as six more shots rang out.
Meanwhile Senior Constable Hartley had run back to the scene, where the other officers had used the police cars as roadblocks to prevent other cars getting shot at. He asked them where the gunman was.
One whispered: “He’s standing at the front of the police vehicle.”
When Senior Constable Hartley saw Warner shoot the windscreen and driver’s side headrest of a police car with shotgun pellets, he thought two of his colleagues were still inside.
As Warner stopped to reload his weapon, Senior Constable Hartley stepped out into the open and yelled: “Don’t move, drop the gun.”
When Warner, according to court documents, turned and pointed the shotgun at Senior Constable Hartley, the officer fired a single shot.
The bullet hit Warner in the hip and he fell to the ground with the firearm still in his hands.
Senior Constable Hartley then threw a two-bang stun grenade and tried to use his Taser, which failed, as it didn’t stop Warner trying to reload his gun.
As Warner rolled to his side and exposed the firearm on the ground, Senior Constable Hartley saw his chance. He grabbed the shotgun and threw it behind him before arresting Warner, who was treated for several days in hospital.
Despite the trauma he inflicted, community leaders say Warner, who will be eligible for parole in September, has their support.
“Johnny (nickname) is a much-loved member of the local Queanbeyan community and will be welcomed with open arms,” Father Peter Day told the court earlier this month.
Warner was initially facing three attempted murder charges but pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in a public place. He was sentenced to a maximum of three years and nine months behind bars.
Senior police said the way the incident was handled was a testament to Senior Constable Hartley’s “bravery and skill set”.
“The way this incident was handled is testament to the bravery and skill set of the officer involved,” Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar told The Sunday Telegraph.
Originally published as Michael John Warner jailed over Queanbeyan shooting spree
‘Out of control’: Teen allegedly attacked with axe, kidnapped
A Northern Rivers woman stands accused of kidnapping a teenage girl and robbing her before she escaped from a car in an alleged wild episode on a busy roadway.
Read more
Mayor’s political rival to join ranks of southwest Sydney council
A controversial former councillor who distributed a fake Islamophobic flyer about his rival’s wife and MP will return to a southwest Sydney council after scoring a win at the ballot box.
Read more