It was an ambush. An incident in Wieambilla, Queensland has been playing out overnight, as per 9News. So, far it has been reported that 6 people, including two young police officers were killed. The siege started on a rural property, where the police were sent to investigate a situation just before 4:30pm when they were ambushed.
An innocent bystander was killed around the same time as the two Queensland police officers. The motive behind the shooting and siege is unknown at this stage. By the time the event ended just after 10:30pm, three other people, including two men and a woman were declared deceased.
The last update from Queensland police came at 2am. As per 9News, four police officers were called the original scene, with one suffering a bullet graze in the attack. They were taken to hospital. The second surviving officer was able to escape and hide.
It is unclear who the other deceased are at this stage.
The country enters a state of mourning with the loss of at least three innocent people. Also, Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, responded in a statement on Twitter, saying it was a “shock and sad.”
Moreover, Peter Dutton, the leader of the Federal Liberal party, also chimed in, as he was a former Queensland police officer. he said it was “deeply distressing.”
What The Australian Newspaper Has Revealed
The Australian has revealed that the officers killed were Constable Rachel McCrow (29) and Constable Matthew Arnold (26). They and the other two police officers who attended the property were looking into enquiries that had been made about a missing New South Wales school teacher, Nathaniel Train.
The innocent bystander who was killed was named Alan Dare. Finally, the newspaper also reveals that Nathaniel Train and his brother, Gareth, were also killed during the siege and that they were shot by special ops officers.
