Questions have been raised about why police did not confiscate a man’s guns before he shot and killed a mother and her daughter while searching for his ex-wife.
Mark Bombara, 63, shot dead Jennifer Petelczyc, 53, and her daughter Gretl, 18, inside their home in Floreat, in Perth’s western suburbs, about 4.30pm on Friday. before shooting himself.
Bombara, the registered owner of 13 weapons, including 11 long firearms and two pistols, was searching for his ex-wife and mother of his four adult children, Rowena.
Bombara had been staying intermittently at her friend’s house in Berkeley Crescent since she separated from her husband on April 1.
Police seized Bombara’s weapons during a search of his Mosman park on Saturday following the horrific double murder suicide.
Mark Bombara (left) shot and killed a mother and her 18-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself after failing to locate his ex-wife Rowena (right).
Jennifer Petelczyc, 53 (left) and her daughter Gretl, 18 (right), were murdered inside their home.
Questions have been raised about whether police officers should have confiscated Bombara’s weapons earlier with the authority given to them under Section 24 of the Firearms Act 1973.
‘A member of the Police Force may seize and take possession of any firearm. . . if, in the opinion of the member of the police, the possession of it by that person may cause harm to any person,” states article 24 of the law.
Shooters Union official and former police officer Steve Harrison said Section 24 allows police broad discretion to confiscate guns if they believe the owner poses a threat.
“Section 24 reads succinctly and lends itself to effective and immediate action where any concern concerns the owner of the firearm or other persons determined to be within the context of the risk of potential harm being caused to them.” “said Mr. Harrison. Western Australia.
‘It requires a police officer to consider and decide whether the powers are to be exercised. It is a tool that is applied on the ground and it is not necessary to submit decisions or obtain court orders.’
Under the clause, police do not need proof of criminality or a violence restraining order filed to confiscate guns.
It is understood police were aware of Bombara’s weapons cache when his ex-wife sought protection while moving out of their home on April 1.
However, police close to the investigation explained that taking Bombara’s weapons might not have prevented the tragedy.
Bombara was the registered owner of 13 weapons, including 11 long guns and two collectibles. It is understood he used one of the guns in the double murder suicide.
Bombara had no previous convictions or history of violence restraining orders against him, meaning he would likely win an appeal to the State Administrative Court and his weapons would have been returned to him.
Papalia said Bombara became known to police after his ex-wife requested that officers be present at the home while he packed up his belongings due to ‘Family Domestic Violence (FDV) matters.’
“But none of them had been reported to the police and the police didn’t know about it other than her approaching them at that time,” Papalia said.
‘Under current laws, (Bombara) was still considered a fit and proper person (to carry a firearm). . . the police act legally.
“(Bombara), unfortunately, was a proper and proper person until the moment he committed that act.”
Under current gun laws and proposed reforms, officers would not yet have had the power to strip Bombara of his weapons when FDV matters were first raised with police eight weeks ago.
If Bombara had been the subject of a violence restraining order or one had been filed, the police would have confiscated his weapons immediately.
Shadow Police Minister Paul Papalia (pictured) said the horrific shooting demonstrated the need for stricter laws on gun ownership and regulations on firearms seizure.
Papalia said police would have been informed about the couple’s history of domestic violence when Rowena requested a police presence at her home.
He added that the police did not use the information to conduct further investigations, as “‘it wouldn’t have met the threshold to be a crime or something to charge’.
Bombara had 11 firearms with a recreational shooter license and two pistols with a collector’s license.
It is understood the weapon used on Friday was one of the pistols.
The Western Australian government on Monday announced new gun laws that will be introduced to parliament in the coming days.
In October, the WA government unveiled proposed firearms law reforms that would limit the number of guns someone can own.
Under the revised Firearms Law, recreational shooters would only be allowed five guns, while farmers and competitive shooters would be limited to 10.
Gun owners would also have to undergo mental health checks and could automatically lose their firearms license if they are issued with a violence or family violence order.
If the bill passes parliament, Western Australia will have the strictest gun legislation in the country.
Papalia explained that under the proposed gun reforms, Bombara would not be eligible to own the two collector guns without being a member of a historical organization.
Police may have confiscated Bombara’s weapons eight weeks before the tragedy, when Mrs. Bombara requested his presence to collect her things from her home (pictured, police remove a body from the crime scene).
Two young people place a floral tribute at the crime scene
The new gun laws would also have restricted the number of guns Bombara could own to just five.
Papalia said the state’s current gun laws are “inadequate,” saying the violent attack demonstrated the need for stricter regulations.
“What it shows is that our current laws are inadequate and we need to address every part of the law to make them stricter, but particularly around this seizure of firearms and at what point that seizure is made with respect to incidents of this nature “. Mr. Papalia said.
‘What we have asked the police to do is assess the circumstances and the nature of the contact between his ex-wife and the police and then this event and determine if there are things we can do to tighten the laws.
“I think so, I think we will act sooner to remove firearms from facilities where there is potential for harm to occur.”
Prime Minister Roger Cook said the Floreat tragedy highlighted the need for stricter gun laws.
“There is no reason why a person living in Mosman Park could legally possess 13 guns,” Premier Roger Cook said.
‘Is hard to understand. One man, 13 guns, legally owned, right in the suburbs of Perth.
Bombara’s ex-wife did not stay with Petelczyc on Friday.
Mark and Rowena’s adult children are (from left) Isaac, Eden, Candice and Ariel Bombara.
It is understood Bombara’s ex-wife did not stay with Ms Petelczyc on Friday as she had vacated the property days earlier following a successful rental property application.
Daily Mail Australia understands Bombara shot each woman in separate rooms of the house before taking his own life, and police officers heard the final shots as they ran down the road to the scene.
The tragedy leaves eldest daughter Leisl Petelczyc, 23, who was not home at the time, as the only surviving member of the family after her father Jon died of pancreatic cancer in August 2019.
The Bombara children, Candice, Ariel, Isaac and Eden, have remained out of public view since the tragedy.
However, Candice and Isaac were spotted outside their East Freemantle home on Monday as they ventured out to run errands.
Returning to the property with a Woolworths shopping bag in hand, Isaac respectfully declined to comment, saying he “didn’t care” to talk about what happened.
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