Three suspects who executed two young cops and a neighbour in a cold-blooded shooting have themselves been killed in a shootout with Special Operations police in a remote part of Queensland.
Four officers attended a property at Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane shortly about 4.30pm on Monday as part of inquiries into a missing train, Nathaniel Train, who was last seen in Dubbo in central-western NSW a year ago.
As police approached, two gunmen clad in military-style camouflage opened fire, killing two probationary constables, a 29-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman.
A third officer was shot in the leg but managed to escape while a fourth, a woman, fled into surrounding bushland.
The gunmen reportedly walked up and shot the officers again as they lay injured on the ground.
The gunmen took the slain officers’ Glock pistols and then lit a fire in a bid to smoke out the remaining female officer who hid in the bushes, texting family and urgently calling for assistance.
A neighbour who came to investigate the gunfire was also fatally shot.
The officer who was grazed in the leg was treated in the nearby town of Chinchilla, while the female officer who took cover in the scrub was later rescued by a specialist police tactical team which had scrambled to the scene.
The tactical police team of 16 officers risked their lives to retrieve the bodies of their two colleagues.
There were reports the gunmen also opened up on the police helicopter deployed to the scene.
Sporadic gunfire was reported by locals through the night before a climactic shootout with the Special Emergency Response Team police about 11.30pm which left three people – reportedly two men and a woman – dead.
The two men were brothers while the woman was the partner of one of the men.
It’s since been revealed police were responding to a request from NSW counterparts for a missing man last seen in Dubbo a year ago.
Emergency crews at the rural property south of Chinchilla on Monday afternoon
The town of Wieambilla, just south of Chinchilla in Queensland, has a population of about 100
Police had attended the Queensland property as part of inquiries into missing man Nathaniel Train (pictured), last seen in Dubbo in central-west NSW a year ago
Nathaniel Train, 46, was last seen in Dubbo in central-west NSW in December last year but had remained contact with family members until October 9 this year before being reported missing.
The property where the police officers were shot is understood to belong to relatives of Mr Train’s family.
A missing person’s alert described Nathaniel as Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 183cm tall, of thin build with a long grey beard.
As Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll paid tribute to the officers in an emotional press conference late Monday, Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers described the killing of the two officers as ‘ruthless, calculated and targeted execution’.
‘These officers’ tragic, needless and senseless murders have already been felt deeply across Queensland and all over Australia,’ he wrote in a memo to police.
‘Our thoughts are also with police who bravely contained and managed the subsequent operation that has now resulted in the deaths of all the offenders.’
‘We are all in a state of shock and disbelief. To be here tonight and know that two brave police both under the age of 30 have needlessly lost their lives affects all our emotions.
‘To know that she and he are no longer with us in what was a ruthless, calculated and targeted execution of our colleagues and loved ones brings home the very real risks that we face every single day doing our jobs.’
Flags will be flown at half mast at all police stations across Queensland on Tuesday while a floral tribute is building outside Chinchilla police station.
Four officers were at this Wains Road property at Wieambilla
The suspects were shot dead in dramatic firefight which broke out late Monday night (pictured, police at the scene)
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed late Monday night two officers and a neighbour were killed. Two gunmen and a woman were also later shot dead
An emotional Mr Leavers told the Today show on Tuesday the devastation will be felt across Australia and thanked the nation for the amazing support.
‘This doesn’t happen – in modern Queensland, we have never seen police executed in this way,’ he told the program.
‘This has touched all other police officers who have lost loved ones over the years, it brings back the horrible memories across Queensland, Australia and New Zealand.
‘If you see a police officer today, say G’day, say thank you for your service because that may very well ease the pain just that little bit because it is a real challenging job but you never know what we’re going to turn up to.
‘You can go to work and you may never come home. Our two colleagues in their 20s, they hadn’t even lived life yet. That is hurting us.’
Four officers had attended a property near Wieambilla around 4pm on Monday as part of inquiries in relation to a missing person
Western Down Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh (pictured) said the community would rally behind the families, friends and colleagues of the officers and neighbour who were killed
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his condolences on Monday night
‘It’s just such a major shock to everyone,’ Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We are a very close-knit community and the Western Downs is a very caring region, so to have a tragedy like this, it’s just awful and our thoughts are with the police, their families and those affected.’
The public was earlier told to avoid the area and nearby residents within the emergency zone – declared under the Public Safety Preservation Act – were ordered to remain indoors.
The swathe of land in and around the exclusion zone is mainly made up of smaller farming properties, that have been subdivided and sold off over the past decades.
It is understood the area has a reputation for growing cannabis and often attracts people looking for a ‘recluse lifestyle’.
The zone for the emergency declaration as announced by Queensland Police
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed the deaths of the officer and the neighbour at an emotional press conference on Monday night.
‘While we are yet to learn the full extent of what has occurred today, we do know this event is extraordinarily distressing on many levels. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the officers’ families, friends and colleagues,’ she said.
‘Those officers paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our community safe. I would like to also pay tribute to all police and first responders who assisted at the scene.
‘Tragically, this is the largest loss of life we have suffered in one single incident in recent times.
‘It is devastating news and I know that it will deeply be felt across Queensland. It is, sadly, a reminder of the unpredictable nature of policing and the incredible dangers our officers face while protecting our community.
‘I know the days and weeks ahead will be particularly difficult for families and the police family. We are an organisation in mourning tonight and at the appropriate time we will honour the sacrifice these officers have made for us.’
‘Our priority right now is to ensure those responsible are brought to justice and that family, friends and colleagues of the officers involved are being supported as much as possible,’ Commissioner Carroll said.
Police were called to the property and were fired upon from inside with several more police crews rushing to the scene
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was heartbroken for the families and friends of the officers who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
‘My condolences to all who are grieving tonight – Australia mourns with you,’ he tweeted.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called the deaths a ‘horrible tragedy’ while federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton – a former Queensland police officer – said the incident was ‘deeply distressing’.
‘Police officers face danger every day to keep us from it,’ he said.
Queensland police minister Mark Ryan added: ‘Again the hearts of Queenslanders break’.
‘This is a tragedy on so many levels.