Two Australian police officers were killed during an ambush shooting on Monday while carrying out a missing person investigation on a remote property in Queensland.
Authorities say that four police officers arrived at a property in the locality of Wieambilla, where they were looking for a missing man named Nathaniel Train, of New South Wales (NSW). Train had been last seen by family in December 2021 and had limited communication with them since then. It wasn’t until December 4 of this year that his family reported him missing after having concerns about his well being. Officers were searching the property upon request from authorities in NSW to aid in their investigation into Train’s whereabouts.
It is with a heavy heart we confirm the deaths of Constable Matthew Arnold and Constable Rachel McCrow.
Their lives were cut tragically short in the line of duty at Wieambilla yesterday.
With Honour They Served. pic.twitter.com/XIahH0zGUX
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) December 12, 2022
At approximately 4:45 pm local time, the officers were fired upon by unknown gunmen said to be wearing camouflage. Two officers were fatally wounded, identified as Rachel McCrow, 26, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 29, and a third officer was grazed. A neighbor who heard the gunfire and came to the property to investigate was also killed by the gunmen.
Special Operations Police were dispatched to the scene and by 10:30 pm, three suspects, two men and a woman, were killed in another shootout. While not confirmed by authorities, Nathaniel and his brother Gareth have been speculated to be two of the gunmen. The shooting is still under investigation.
