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Two rookie police officers were living together in a humble Queensland home when they were gunned down by a family of deranged conspiracy theorists in a brutal shootout, as revealed, one of the slain officers already had his car packed up to go home for Christmas when I arrive. he calls her to go to work.
Agent Rachel McCrow, 29, and Officer Matthew Arnold, 26, was killed in a hail of bullets as they arrived at the property of Gareth and Stacey Train in Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane, at 4:30pm Monday.
They were doing a routine checkup to School principal Nathaniel Train with two other colleagues, Constable Keely Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, disappeared when they were attacked by Nathaniel, his brother Gareth and Gareth’s wife Stacey.
It can now be revealed that the two dead officers lived together in a police-owned house in the nearby town of Tara, 45 minutes south of Wieambilla. They were previously stationed together in Dalby.
A close friend of Constable Arnold told Daily Mail Australia that the young police officer’s car was packed, ready to drive the four hours back to Brisbane to see his parents on Tuesday for the Christmas holidays.
“He was meant to come home today and start his Christmas vacation with friends,” he said.
I’d already be driving home if I hadn’t gotten that call yesterday.
Officers Rachel McCrow, 29 (left) and Matthew Arnold, 26, (right) were parked at the Tara police station
Officers Rachel McCrow, 29 (left) and Matthew Arnold, 26, (right) were parked at the Tara police station
The town of Wieambilla, just south of Chinchilla in Queensland, has a population of around 100
Agent Arnold’s triplet sister, Hayley, took to social media Tuesday night to pay tribute to her brother.
“I can’t begin to explain the love and bond we had,” she wrote.
“As triplets, we were born together and destined to grow old together.
‘A third of me is gone, and in its place is an excruciating physical pain that I’ve been in ever since we got that knock on the door.
You were meant to come home today and stay home for Christmas. You should have been able to come home.
Officer Brough managed to flee into the nearby bushland and sent a series of frantic text messages to colleagues and loved ones. Agent Kirk also managed to escape, despite a gunshot wound to the leg.
Alan Dale heard the commotion from a neighboring property and rushed to help, but was tragically killed in the massacre.
Agent Kirk lives in Chinchilla with his pregnant wife and young son.
He and Agent Brough are recovering at the hospital.
Nathaniel, Gareth and their partner Stacey Train were shot dead by police around 10:30 p.m. local time.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll paid tribute to the officers at an emotional press conference on Monday night.
“In my opinion, those officers didn’t stand a chance,” he said.
‘Matthew and Rachel were highly respected and beloved members of the Queensland Police Service. They were both committed and courageous young men who had a passion for policing and serving their community,” she said.
‘Both under 30 years of age. They both had wonderful careers and lives ahead of them.
‘We have dedicated family liaison officers to support your families. I will be visiting your families in the very near future. Tara is a small station within a close-knit community.’
Police had attended the Queensland property as part of inquiries into missing man Nathaniel Train (pictured), last seen in Dubbo in west-central New South Wales a year ago.
Faces of the dead: Matthew Arnold, 26, was killed on arrival at the property, as was Rachel McCrow, 29
Constable Brough, who managed to escape unharmed and hide in the surrounding bushes, sent desperate text messages to loved ones while the trio set fire to the bush to drive her away.
The young officer declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, but loved ones flocked to her Facebook page to send their condolences.
“She didn’t know if she was going to be shot or burned alive,” Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told ABC on Tuesday.
Keely Brough (pictured), 28, had just eight weeks on duty when she was involved in shooting near Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane, on Monday.
Agent Randall Kirk (pictured), 28, with a young child and a pregnant wife, was shot in the leg but managed to escape
“I know you were texting your loved ones saying you almost thought it was your time. What was going through his mind, one cannot understand.
“She was in contact with her other colleagues trying to reassure them that we would be able to get support to go and help her fallen colleagues at that time.”
Officer Brough was later rescued by a specialized police tactical team that had rushed to the scene.
Leavers described her as an “incredible young woman,” noting that she was only sworn in as a police officer eight weeks ago.
And when he thought his life was about to end, he never stopped trying to do the right thing and communicate with his colleagues. He tried to do what he could,” he said.
“She was in contact with her other colleagues trying to make sure that we could get the support to help her fallen colleagues at this time.
“They were just brave, brave who put their lives to work.”
Four officers were at this Wains Road property in Wieambilla when they were ambushed by Nathaniel Train and his brother.
An aerial shot of the property Tuesday morning shows a burnt-out police car.
Gareth and Stacey Train believed in a variety of false conspiracy theories and were preparing their home for the apocalypse when the police arrived on their property.
In a tirade on an online forum, Gareth is understood to have written that the Australian government was responsible for the Port Arthur Massacre, where 35 people were killed in Tasmania in 1996.
“Anyone who watched the live media coverage at the time and was aware of the political hoax that took place knows that this was a government psy-op to disarm the Australian population,” he wrote in November 2020.
Just two months earlier, Gareth had claimed that “chemical agents” had been dropped over Australia, covering much of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. “Now we are being poisoned and chemically manipulated on a massive scale,” he wrote.
Gareth also regularly shared his mistrust of the Queensland Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), the same team that came to his home and shot him.
“The state-sponsored terrorist squads – SOG, SERT and other special people are nothing more than government paramilitary hammers,” he said in September last year.
They lived off the grid with a wide range of solar panels and water tanks.
Nathaniel Train was a highly respected teacher who was hailed by his peers for his work with children, raising standards and dramatically improving test scores.
He was well liked as headmaster of Yorkeys Knob State School near Cairns, where he was headmaster for around five years, after joining from Innisfail East State School, where he has been headmaster since 2011.