Six killed after police ambushed by gunmen in Australian outback

Two of the six police officers were killed in an ambush on a remote Australian estate.

A shootout broke out when detectives were called to a rural address about 300 kilometers from Brisbane to investigate reports of a missing person.

At least two heavily armed gunmen opened fire on police as they arrived, killing two and another resident of Wiembilla, home to fewer than 100 people.

A third officer was injured by the hail of bullets, but managed to find cover with another colleague.

The attackers tried to smoke out one of their targets by building a fire in the tall grasses where they were hiding.

Ian Leavers, the president of the Queensland Police Union, said: “She really believed she was going to be shot or burned alive.”

They were able to sound the alarm and the area was overrun by armed officers and close air support.

A siege began and two men and a woman – all considered trespassers by police – were killed nearly six hours after violence began at the site.

Amidst the violence, 16 officers risked their lives to recover the bodies of their colleagues, not knowing at the time whether they were dead or alive.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said of the first survivors that they “didn’t stand a chance and I don’t know how two of them got out alive”.

Police identified the officers killed as officers Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29. Mr Arnold was sworn in as a civil servant in 2020 and Ms McCrow in 2021.

In tribute, she said, “They were both dedicated and courageous young people who had a passion for policing and serving their communities.”

She fought back tears and told a press conference: “It’s an unimaginable tragedy.

“This is incredibly distressing and tragic for everyone, especially the family, involved officers, colleagues, the organization and the community.”

Nathaniel Train, a 46-year-old former school principal in New South Wales, has been named as the three dead suspects at the scene, along with brother Gareth Train and his wife Stacey.

Ms Carroll said local police were responding to a request from authorities in the neighboring state of New South Wales to search for a person who had been reported missing for 12 months but had been in contact with people until recently.

She said the investigation was continuing and it was too early to say whether police had been lured to the property.

She said the 58-year-old neighbor may have dropped by after seeing a fire in the property or hearing gunshots.

Mr Leavers said the killings amounted to an execution, adding: “What happened yesterday is two police officers were killed in cold blood.”

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