Never-before-seen footage captured by one of the police officers ambushed on a rural Queensland property during a welfare check shows the harrowing moments he came face to face with death.
Officers Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot dead after attending the Wieambilla property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey.
The pair arrived at the property alongside officers Keely Brought and Randall Kirk to conduct a welfare check on Gareth’s brother Nathaniel Train in December 2022, who also had a warrant out for his arrest.
But what was supposed to be a simple job quickly turned deadly when a single shot rang out.
Body camera footage from Officer Randall Kirk released on the second day of the coroner’s inquest showed the four officers jumping the fence on Train’s property around 4:35 p.m. to approach the home on foot.
Less than two minutes after officers entered the property, a shot was heard and Officer Arnold was killed about 120 yards from the front door.
He died from a gunshot wound to the chest and lay motionless on the ground as his companions ducked for cover.
The investigation concluded that the fatal bullet had been fired by Nathaniel.
Gareth Train is seen on Rachel McCrow’s body camera during the ambush
Officers Rachel McCrow, 29 (pictured), and Matthew Arnold, 26, were killed after attending the Wieambilla property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, while carrying out a welfare check for Gareth’s brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022.
Officer Arnold (pictured) was just 120 yards from the front door where officers had come when he was shot in the chest and killed.
Approximately seven minutes later, Officer McCrow was fatally shot by Gareth, who fired his rifle at her at point-blank range.
The trains had lit bonfires in an attempt to scare away Agent Brough, who had managed to hide in a bush just metres from where her colleagues were killed.
Officer Kirk had also managed to hide behind a tree before making the terrifying dash back to his police vehicle.
His camera was recording the whole time.
How a police officer tried to stay alive
Audio footage reveals conversations he had with his supervising officer, Sergeant Justin Dryer, as the horrific scene unfolded.
Officer Kirk fired one shot after Officer McCrow fired her weapon, firing 15 times, before dying.
The inquest heard footage of another officer’s body captured on audio of one of the Train brothers saying “that was a mistake boys” and “get out, get out and get on the fucking ground or you’re going to die.”
Agent Kirk knew he couldn’t stay where he was because his shot had alerted the Trains to his location.
He told Sergeant Dryer that “a man had a rifle and was approaching them.”
Officer Randall Kirk is seen brandishing his gun as he flees the area.
Gareth Train’s rifle was found next to his body after he was fatally shot by SERT officers.
“I think he shot Rachel,” Officer Kirk said at 4:46 p.m.
“I think she’s dead. I think she shot him. He’s still walking.”
He then clarifies: “She shot him.”
‘Run’: A policeman runs towards freedom
Agent Kirk continues to explain the harrowing events unfolding before his eyes.
“Now they have Matthew. Holy crap!” he said.
—Matt isn’t moving. Rachel isn’t moving now. Keely, I haven’t seen you. What do you want me to do?
Still on the phone, Agent Kirk says, “He’s coming.”
“Should I run?” he asks.
Sergeant Drier asks: Do they know where you are?
“Yes, they do,” Agent Kirk replied.
Agent Kirk then makes a daring dash to safety, back to his car, gun in one hand and phone in the other.
Aerial view of the Wieambilla farm where the ambush took place. Photo: 9 News.
As he runs, he tells Sergeant Dryer, “They’re coming, they’re shooting.”
Several gunshots can be heard in the background as he runs for cover.
He finally reaches the safety of his car, but quickly realizes that he has been shot.
“I think I’ve been shot,” Officer Kirk is heard saying as he finally enters the police car.
The chilling audio continues as he walks away.
“There are two of them, I think they shot me,” he said.
– I don’t know where. There are shots fired at the car window.
‘I had to go away a little… (I lost) a shoe.
“I have blood on my face, I don’t know where they shot me.”
The images show the car riddled with bullets as the man drives away from the property.
A neighbor’s good death turned into a fatal mistake
Neighbor Alan Dare saw plumes of black smoke rising from the Train property.
After his wife called 911, he decided to go check on the fire since the area was a high-risk zone for forest fires.
He decided to film the event with his phone, not realizing that he was about to capture her final moments.
The frantic footage shows Dare arriving at the scene where, unbeknownst to him, a police car had been set on fire.
He tells another neighbor, Victor Lewis, who is also at the scene, not to “get too close” because the fire “is still active.”
“What the hell is there?” Mr. Dare is heard saying.
“I’ll stay away from Vic.”
A few moments later, he sees a car driving away.
“There’s a car coming,” he tells Mr. Lewis.
‘There’s a car there and there’s someone at the door.
– Wow, someone just got out of that car, Vic.
“Someone just got out of the other car and walked away.”
A second later, Mr. Dare was shot in the chest and died.
The investigation concluded that Mr Lewis quickly left the scene to seek help for his partner.
Investigators were unable to determine who fired the fatal shot that killed Mr. Dare.