A rural town is in turmoil after a decorated community member armed himself with a rifle and a handgun and fatally shot a colleague before turning the gun on himself.
The final hours of gunman Lachlan Bowles have been revealed as police continue to investigate the series of events that led to the deaths of two local residents in Kellerberrin, about 200km east of Perth in Western Australia.
On September 7, the 25-year-old unleashed an eight-hour manhunt and siege after donning a Nazi bracelet and confronting his colleague at their workplace.
Before that deadly day, Bowles was well known in the community as a volunteer paramedic and was commended by the Shire of Kellerberrin for his community service in 2020.
He worked at local silo manufacturing company Moylan Grain Silos, along with his future victim Terry Czernowski.
The moments leading up to Lachlan Bowles (pictured) fatally shooting colleagues in a country town have been revealed
Father-of-one Terry Czernowski was shot dead by his co-worker on Thursday
It is not clear what might have prompted Bowles to fatally shoot Mr. Czernowski, who was in his 40s and had a daughter.
Peter Mitchell, from Kellerberrin, told 6PR Mornings on Friday that he knew both men were involved in the shocking shooting. He described Bowles as “easy going” and “smiling all the time.”
“He was quiet, kept to himself, did his thing, but at the end of the day he was a good kid,” he said.
“If you’d told me it would happen, I’d say, ‘No, wrong man, you’re dreaming.’
Mr Mitchell also described Mr Czernowski as a good man and said he was shocked that both men were gone.
“There are only two people who will know the truth about what happened, and they are now gone,” he said.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
It was an unremarkable day for Mr Czernowski, who was on his way to work at Moylan Grain Silos on Mather Rd in Kellerberrin.
Bowles was traveling in the same direction, driving his gray 2007 Holden Commodore and dressed from head to toe in camouflage clothing.
During the day, witnesses also reported that he was wearing a bracelet with a Nazi swastika on it.
The 25-year-old was armed with a high-powered rifle and a pistol.
It is not clear what might have prompted Bowles to fatally shoot Czernowski, who was in his 40s and had a daughter.
Bowles arrived at Moylan Grain Silos in Kellerberrin before 9am and confronted Mr Czernowski
8:40 am
Bowles arrived at Moylan Grain Silos before 9am and confronted Mr Czernowski.
What exactly happened next is unclear, but he shot the older man with the rifle or pistol before fleeing the scene in his car.
8:40 am – 2:00 pm
Mr Czernowski was rushed to hospital but died from his gunshot wound.
WA Police first reported “an incident in the Kellerberrin area” just before 9.30am and asked the public to remain indoors until further notice.
Twenty minutes later, police confirmed that one person had been shot and wounded, and that a gunman was fleeing.
At 10:14 a.m., police issued an alert to Bowles’ whereabouts, but they did not explicitly link him to the shooting. They urged the public to call triple-zero if they saw the young man.
Meanwhile, Bowles drove northeast out of town toward Mission Rd. At some point during the morning he abandoned his car and continued north on foot along Mission Rd.
Bowles caused the deaths of two local residents in Kellerberrin, about 200 km east of Perth in Western Australia
While on foot he was approached by local farmer Rob Linto, who was driving towards York in his Toyota LandCruiser ute.
“I didn’t think much about it but then I saw him stop… he had a gun pointed at me as I came towards him,” Mr Linto told The West Australian newspaper.
“So when I saw the gun, I thought I had to (speed up). So I just put my foot down, but as I passed, he obviously turned around and lined me up, and had a shot.
“So I didn’t stop. I just kept launching. I stopped once and thought I heard a car coming, so I got in and out again.’
Mr. Linto told the newspaper that he eventually stopped and called triple zero. Later he realized his car had been hit.
“The bullet went through the top of the (spare) tire, on the other side of the tire, through the back above the window, hit the inside of the roof liner, went into the front roof liner and tried to get out. front,” he said.
‘Then I thought: this is the reality here. I just had to sit down.’
Mr. Linto was left shaken, but otherwise unharmed.
WA Regional Police Commander Rod Wilde said police initially tried to negotiate with Bowles during the shooting, but those talks had failed
At approximately 10:43 a.m., police issued an active shooter alert, again urging locals to stay indoors and not travel for any reason.
They had scheduled a media conference for 12:45 p.m., but it was postponed after Bowles was found in a field about 12 miles north of Kellerberrin.
14.00 hours
Police revealed negotiations were underway between Bowles and members of the force’s Tactical Response Group.
It has been reported that Bowles waved a Nazi flag during the standoff.
4:30 pm
Negotiations with Bowles failed and Bowles shot himself in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Regional WA Police Commander Rod Wilde was expected to address the media at 4.30pm but this was postponed by 15 minutes so he could confirm the standoff had ended when Bowles suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The gunman’s death was not officially confirmed until shortly after 6 p.m.
“It’s clearly a tragic outcome for everyone involved,” Mr Wilde said.
Bowles shot himself in the head after negotiations failed and was pronounced dead at the scene
ONGOING INVESTIGATION
On Friday, police launched an extensive investigation into the shooting.
Detectives and forensic officers are expected to be in Kellerberrin for days or even weeks as they try to piece together the incident and the events leading up to Thursday.
Meanwhile, WA Police Minister Paul Papalia addressed the media on Friday, taking the opportunity to highlight his government’s gun law reforms.
“We are on time, the work is being done, a draft will soon be ready and released to the public before being tabled in Parliament,” he said.
The updated laws are expected to tighten storage requirements and implement mandatory and recurring mental health checks for gun owners.
However, he was unable to provide any new information about the shooting investigation.