Six persons, two of whom were police officers, were shot and killed at a remote Australian property following an alleged ambush.
270 kilometers (168 miles) west of Brisbane, Queensland, in Wieambilla, police said they were looking for a missing person when they came under fire.
Three suspects were fatally shot by police after a protracted siege. According to authorities, a reason is still unknown.
Australia was experiencing a “heartbreaking day,” according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
On Monday afternoon local time, four armed Australian police officers responded to a call from New South Wales police and went to the property.
As they approached the property, constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot and killed. According to authorities, one cop was hit by a “bullet graze,” while the other three managed to leave unharmed.
Alan Dare, a neighbor who was 58 years old, was slain by the suspects after visiting the residence to look into the matter.
Before the suspects, two men and a woman, were shot by specially trained officers, the siege, which featured “several weapons,” had lasted for hours.
One of them was revealed to be 46-year-old Nathaniel Train, a former school principal who was the subject of a police search warrant for a missing individual.
The other co-owners of the home were his brother Gareth Train, 47, and Gareth’s wife Stacey Train, 45.
The attack, according to Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll, was a “unimaginable tragedy” and the largest single fatality for the department in many years.
“Those police officers had no chance. It’s a marvel that two people survived, “Following her Tuesday visit to the scene, she stated.
The rookie cop, who was not hurt, was able to locate cover and make an assistance call.
According to Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, the suspects then attempted to lure her out by starting a fire.
He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the victim “did not know whether she was going to be shot, or [whether] she was going to burn alive” (ABC).
“I am aware that she sent messages to her loved ones expressing her belief that her time had come. One cannot fathom what was going through her thoughts.”
Later, specialized cops arrived and took control of the situation.
Despite being relatively new to the police department, Ms. McCrow and Mr. Arnold were well-liked, according to Ms. Carroll.
“both are young people—under 30. Both have fantastic lives and futures ahead of them “The commissioner, who was clearly upset, informed reporters.
Due to the continuing investigation, Ms. Carroll stated she was unable to speculate about a potential motivation or confirm whether the police were invited to the scene.
According to a number of media publications, Gareth Train appeared to have frequently posted to online discussion boards that supported conspiracies. He misrepresented the country’s deadliest mass shooting as a government plot to arm Australians and showed his mistrust of police in online messages, according to The Guardian.
Following the 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, Tasmania, where 35 people were slain by a lone gunman, Australia enacted some of the harshest gun laws in the whole world.
Since then, there have only been three mass shootings, which are those that result in at least four fatalities, excluding the perpetrators, according to Australian law.
For “everyone who loved these Australians,” according to Mr. Albanese, the shooting on Monday was sad, and “our hearts go out to those in the grip of terrible loss.”
He said that for all police officers and their families, it would be a “difficult day indeed.” Anyone who dons the uniform should never have to pay this price, he declared.
David Littleproud, a local MP, claimed that it had left his neighborhood “numb.”
He told the ABC that “[these] are little country villages where this sort of stuff just doesn’t happen.”
As is customary, the coroner will look into the deaths, and the force’s ethical standards command will look into how the police handled the situation.
