Jesse Baird and Luke Davies murder: Gunshots, a triple-0 call then silence

One or more gunshots blast out of a police-issued Glock pistol inside a Paddington terrace in densely populated inner Sydney, and no-one reports it...?

Luke Davies (left) and Jesse Baird (right) in a picture posted February 7, 2024. Picture: Instagram

One or more gunshots blast out of a police-issued Glock pistol inside a Paddington terrace in densely populated inner Sydney.

And no one reports it.

It’s one of the tragic and as-yet unexplained elements in the alleged murders of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies: at least some people in the area heard the gun go off in the middle of a Monday morning, but did not immediately call police.

“Gunshots were heard at 9.50 on Monday morning by neighbours. My understanding is they were unreported to police until later,” Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said on Monday.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has ordered a review of firearms policies.

It gave the killer a huge head start to dispose of evidence and the bodies of the victims.

There was one call to triple-0 on the day that forms part of the investigation … from Baird’s mobile at 9.54am on Monday, four minutes after shots were allegedly heard.

Nothing was said before the call disconnected.

Were the gunshots simply dismissed as being from a backfiring car or other innocuous cause, until fears emerged about what really unfolded inside the terrace?

Did others hear the shots but are yet to come forward?

Add to those questions another confronting NSW Police Force top brass: how was the accused killer, police constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, in possession of the gun and alleged murder weapon in the first place?

On Friday, February 16, three days before the alleged murders, he signed out the gun from the Miranda police station, citing a purported “user pays” overtime shift at a pro-Palestine rally on the Sunday.

That he allegedly still had access to the Glock to kill Baird and Davies on the morning of Monday, February 19, will be central to a review of NSW police firearms policies.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has been personally drafted in by NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb to assist with the review, as the hiring and supervision of Lamarre-­Condon and the initial police response to the murders also come under intense scrutiny.

Webb said the review would look beyond the murders of Baird and Davies to examine the access and storage of NSW police firearms, particularly in specialist areas, non-24-hour stations and user pays events. “It is a failure if someone has used their service firearm in the manner alleged, which is why it’s necessary to have a review. There has been a gap in this instance,” she said.

Only one used cartridge had been found in the Paddington terrace, but the police theory is that both Baird and Davies were shot at the home, Hudson said.

At some point during the days that Lamarre-Condon had the weapon, it was stored at Balmain police station, near the home of his mother, who has been an unsworn NSW police employee.

Approval had been given for the gun to be stored at a home and “alternative premises” with an approved gun safe, Hudson said.

The arrangements were “not unusual” under existing policies.

NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon handed himself into Bondi Police Station on Friday. Picture: Liam Mendes

Lamarre-Condon is understood to have returned the gun to Miranda police station on Tuesday, while on a day off.

“My understanding is at the time … he was on a recurrent leave day and then availed himself on the Wednesday, Thursday of two sick days, allegedly for a minor operation, which is yet to be confirmed, and (he) was intending to return to work on Friday,” he said.

A picture posted to social media of Lamarre-Condon wearing a gun while not in uniform raised further serious concerns about the handling of police-­issued firearms.

Meanwhile, investigators have been asked to look at Lamarre-Condon’s recruitment, including how he passed psychological testing. Asked if the constable was a suitable person to be in a police uniform prior to the murders, Webb said: “That will be borne out through the investigation and review … our recruits are assessed by psychologists.”

Police maintain they acted as quickly as possible following the discovery of bloodied clothing and possessions belonging to the victims in a skip bin in Sydney last Wednesday. That led police to find more blood in former Network 10 presenter Baird’s share house in Paddington. Lamarre-Condon, 28, has been charged with two counts of murder.

Those who heard the shots are now invaluable witnesses. Asked how many gunshots they had since reported hearing, Hudson said “That is uncertain. It ranges from one to several.”