Police must answer whether they let down a gunman’s terrified family before he murdered two people, a federal minister says, as calls grow for an independent inquiry into the tragedy.
An internal police investigation will examine the handling of interactions with Mark Bombara’s daughter and ex-wife, who had fled “for fear of their lives.”
But WA’s opposition and a WA senator are also calling for an independent investigation into the events leading up to the deaths.
Bombara killed Jenny Petelczyc, a friend of his ex-wife, and her 18-year-old daughter, Gretl Petelczyc, at their home in Floreat, before taking his own life.
Ariel Bombara (pictured) says her family’s pleas for protection from her father were repeatedly ignored
Mark Bombara, 63, murdered Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, (together above) before turning the gun on himself.
His daughter, Ariel Bombara, claimed that Washington police ignored repeated warnings that her father was dangerous and had several weapons.
Bombara believed his ex-wife had stayed at the Floreat home.
Bombara said their pleas for help “were repeatedly ignored” and that the police had “repeatedly failed them.”
Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said an investigation into what went wrong was an appropriate measure.
“It certainly seems like she (Ms Bombara) didn’t get the response she needed from the police,” he told ABC News Breakfast on Wednesday.
“So it is right for the Western Australian government to investigate this and it is right for the police commissioner to look at what could have been done in these circumstances to prevent this tragedy.”
Bombara had been chasing his ex-partner, Rowena (pictured together)
WA Police Commissioner Colonel Blanch rejected the force’s failure to act after the women approached him.
‘To say that nothing was done is wrong. “A lot was done,” he told ABC radio.
Greens senator Dorinda Cox, a former WA police officer, said independent oversight of the murders investigation was necessary because she did not trust the police.
“Police investigating police is not the best solution,” he told ABC’s RN.
It was best for everyone to have that conversation in a fairly public space, he said.
“It’s not about blaming or criticism, it’s about improving the system, improving our responses and saving the lives of women and children in this country.”
Senator Cox said the nation was at a “crisis point” with a disproportionate number of women dying across the country.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said police had not received a formal record of complaint from Bombara and his mother about violence in the weeks before the shooting.
“My understanding is that Ariel and her mother approached the police and what they reported did not meet the threshold for the enforcement of a police warrant,” he said.
‘The Prime Minister has asked the police commissioner and me to look at that.
“My personal opinion is that the threshold needs to be lowered.”
Bombara owned 11 guns with a recreational shooter’s license and two guns with a collector’s license, one of which was used to kill Ms. Petelczyc and her daughter.
Gretl, who recently obtained her P plates, was just starting out in life after graduating from high school and beginning a sports degree at the University of WA.
WA Opposition Leader Shane Love and WA Liberals Leader Libby Mettam called for a parallel independent investigation led by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Love said Papalia owed the Bombara and Petelczyc families an explanation as to why police did not act on warnings.
“He also owes them an apology for trying to turn his tragedy into a political achievement,” he said.
Love said Blanch must inform the public when the internal investigation will be completed and whether it will be made public.
Rishworth praised Bombara’s decision to speak out and said his statement had been “incredibly powerful”.
“It takes enormous courage, particularly at a time when she would be grieving, to speak out and make these comments,” he said.
“Their need to act is also very powerful.”
Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley said all options needed to be on the table to ensure an incident like that in Perth does not happen again.
“Women around the world feel like they’ve been failed and they have – we’ve failed women around the world,” she told reporters in Canberra.
