Exclusive Heartbroken’ father speaks out about gun ‘obsessed’ sons who killed police
Ronald Train has had “a complete meltdown” since learning his sons shot and killed two police officers and their neighbour, the father has revealed in an exclusive interview with A Current Affair.
Brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train opened fire at Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough, both 28, and neighbour Alan Dare at a Wieambilla property, about 300km west of Brisbane, on Monday.
Arnold, McCrow and Dare were killed, while Kirk and Brough narrowly escaped with their lives before specialist police moved in on the property and shot dead the brothers and Gareth’s wife Stacey Train.
“I just could not understand how something like this could have occurred, with two children who had been raised by my late wife Gwen and myself,” Ronald told A Current Affair reporter Chris Allen.
“They went down this dark track, which we have no understanding of.”
Pastor says he won’t stop loving his sons
The retired Baptist pastor was reduced to tears by the actions of his sons, but said “you don’t stop loving your children”.
“I never stopped loving them and praying for them,” Ronald said.
While the deaths have been described as cold-blooded, the father said he wouldn’t describe his son as “monsters”.
“I’d describe them as two boys who have completely lost their way in life,” Ronald said.
The pastor said he believes Nathaniel and Gareth have been “demonised in the press”.
But he also said, “I can understand completely why that’s occurred … and I can understand how the police feel.”
Who’s responsible?
When it comes to whether or not he feels responsible for his sons’ actions, Ronald said, “absolutely not”.
“I can’t. Those decisions were made as adults. I can’t accept responsibility for something an adult made,” Ronald said.
He said the first he knew about the shocking events was when police knocked on his door yesterday morning.
He was asked for a DNA test to confirm Nathaniel was one of those who was shot by police in the gun fight that followed the murder of the two officers and Dare.
The Train brothers, who were two of four children, looked like any happy family in photos their father has of them as kids, but in their early 20s Gareth and his younger brother Nathaniel cut all ties with their parents.
“Gwen and I were both heartbroken,” Ronald said.
“We tried to find the answers within ourselves, whether we were responsible – we weren’t.
“We had to eventually in the end say that they have made this decision as adults and we couldn’t do a thing about it.”
Ronald said the two brothers were always close but as a teenager Gareth became hard to manage.
“The only child that was difficult was Gareth. He was very volatile, very controlling,” Ronald revealed.
“We had troubles with him at school in Brisbane and troubles with him at school here in Toowoomba, which we had to address.
“He was difficult to control.”
Gareth was gun ‘obsessed’
Ronald said Gareth was “obsessed with guns and weapons” as was “Nathaniel to a lesser degree”.
“He (Nathaniel) used to go shooting with Gareth,” Ronald said.
“They used to go shooting for (kanga)roos and rabbits and hares and things.”
But the pastor said he was “surprised” to learn that his sons were licensed to have firearms.
Bizarre love triangle
In a bizarre twist, Ronald said Nathaniel had been the first of the brothers to marry Stacey Christoffel.
“I married them here in Toowoomba Baptist Church,” Ronald revealed.
Ronald said the couple had two children, who are also estranged from the rest of the family.
He said he had “absolutely no idea” that somehow Stacey ended up with Gareth before she was involved in the shootout.
“I just think in the end that he (Gareth) took over that relationship that Nathaniel and Stacey had,” Ronald said.
Ronald said he had no idea Gareth had become addicted to conspiracies and nursed a hatred of police.
He said he had no idea Nathaniel, who was reported missing in New South Wales, was living with his brother and ex wife.
“I find it really really difficult to get my mind around,” he said.
Ronald said after losing his wife and now two sons, he can relate to the grief police would be feeling at the deaths of their colleagues and that his sons would now have to answer to “God for what they’ve done”.
“I don’t excuse my boys for their behaviour, their actions at all,” Ronald said.
While he feels “sorry” for his sons’ actions, he’s calling for Australians to have understanding for what he and his remaining children now face.
“I know that others have been suffering, but I’ve lost two members of my family,” Ronald said.
“I would ask for compassion and understanding.”
