Police helicopter audio reveals intense firefight at rural Queensland property
An intense firefight that unfolded on a remote Queensland property, leaving six people dead on Monday, has been laid bare in dramatic police helicopter audio.
The audio from PolAir reveals what specialist police on the ground were dealing with after Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and a neighbour Alan Dare were shot dead by Nathaniel and Gareth Train and Gareth’s partner Stacey Train.
The constables had arrived at the property to follow up on a missing persons report from New South Wales about Nathaniel.
The police officers were with their colleagues Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough, both 28, who both managed to escape with their lives before specialist police moved in on what became a six-hour siege.
The helicopter audio indicates how the team in the air guided the officers on the ground towards the three heavily armed shooters holed up at the farmhouse in Wieambilla.
“Both male, both armed and both discharging rounds,” the PolAir team warned their colleagues below.
“Shots fired, further shots fired.”
The helicopter team described how two people of interest, also known as POIs, were down beside a couch and pointing their weapons, while the female POI was “unsighted”.
The POIs they were referring to were Nathaniel and Gareth and Gareth’s partner Stacey.
The operators could be heard identifying a “single male discharging his weapon” before their POI moved to the rear of a utility.
“From what I’m looking at, the main POI is obtaining rounds and loading the weapon from the rear of the utility,” a PolAir officer said.
The second male was described as sitting on the stairs before officers relayed the people of interest were loading and reloading their firearms.
As the firefight intensified, PolAir spotted schoolteacher Stacey on the front verandah.
Then, one by one, the three offenders were shot dead by specialist police.
“No movement from number one,” PolAir could be heard saying in the audio, before an officer could be heard saying “female down”.
