Coroner hands down findings into deadly Wieambilla attack which killed two police constables, Good Samaritan neighbours

A coroner has found a religiously-motivated attack where two police officers and a Good Samaritan neighbour were murdered in cold blood was not an act of terror.

The final hearing and delivery of State Coroner Terry Ryan’s official findings into the bloody massacre at Wieambilla on December 12, 2022, marks the final stage of a lengthy inquest which ran for several months over 2024.

Queensland Police constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot dead by members of the Train family – brothers Nathaniel and Gareth and his wife, Stacey – while performing a welfare check on Nathaniel at the property, in Queensland’s Western Downs region, that year.

The two officers and constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk had unknowingly walked into a trap set by the Train family and were met by gunfire within minutes of entering the property.

Constable Kirk was injured after fleeing gunfire from the Trains while Constable Brough fled into bushland – the Trains lighting fires on the property in a bid to flush her out.

Neighbour Alan Dare was murdered by the family while investigating these fires.

Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey were all shot dead by Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) officers later in the night, following a lengthy standoff.

Harrowing evidence was given by surviving police officers, senior police figures and experts during the inquest, which finished in late August 2024.

It was examining a range of issues related to the attendance of constables Arnold, McCrow, Kirk and Brough at the Wains Rd property, who exactly fired the shots that killed constables McCrow and Arnold and Mr Dare, the communication between NSW Police and Queensland Police in relation to Nathaniel’s missing person’s report, the motivations of the Train family and whether any policy changes could prevent similar deaths in the future, among other issues.

At its conclusion Ruth O’Gorman, counsel assisting the coroner, made several recommendations for Mr Ryan to consider ahead of his official findings being delivered.

One included recommending the Queensland government implement mandatory mental health assessments for weapons licence applicants.

Coroner pays tribute to ‘enduring grief’ of families

The families of the slain officers and multiple police officials have packed Brisbane Magistrates Court for Mr Ryan’s findings.

After entering at 11.30am, he acknowledged all the families and their “enduring grief”.

Mr Ryan began by summarising the events of the tragic day - including how the four constables from the Tara and Chinchilla police stations began attending the at-first routine missing person’s job.

Nathaniel had been formally listed as a missing person in December 2022.

After hopping over the padlocked gate of the Wains Rd property, a shot rang out minutes.

“Constable Arnolds was shot and killed by Nathaniel Train,” Mr Ryan said.

“Moments later, Constable McCrow was killed by Gareth Train.”

Constable Randall Kirk managed to withdraw while constable Brough remained “trapped” on the property for several hours.

Neighbours Alan Dare and Victor Lewis arrived at the property to investigate fires lit by the Train family.

Alan Dare was shot in the chest and killed - “again without warning”, Mr Ryan said.

Constable Brough was extracted by police at 6.30pm.

Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey were all killed by SERT operatives following a protracted shootout later that evening.

“Each had an undiagnosed and untreated psychotic illness - a shared delusional disorder,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said the circumstances of Nathaniel’s illegal entry into Queensland back in December 2021 were not in contention - with the court being told his vehicle became stuck in floodwaters.

Nathaniel damaged the entry gate and discarded items, including ammunition, in the water.

“I have concluded the investigation was adequate,” Mr Ryan said of the probe into Nathaniel’s illegal border crossing.

He found NSW Police officers acted “in accordance” with relevant policies in broadcasting Nathaniel’s missing person’s report.

Before attending, a note was sent to Queensland Police which included information about Nathaniel’s firearm and Gareth’s hatred of police - including the threats to his nephew, Aidan Train.

Emails provided by Stacey Train earlier that day were not provided.

“I accept the evidence given by a number of witnesses from both Queensland and NSW Police... that if the emails had been provided, Queensland Police officers would have had the opportunity to do a more complete risk assessment,” Mr Ryan said.

“The officers who were sent did not have that opportunity.”

Mr Ryan said it was not possible to know if additional information was provided, a different outcome would have resulted.

“In the circumstances, I am not able to make any definitive finding,” he said.

Mr Ryan made recommendations surrounding the expansion of Queensland Police’s aerial reconnaissance - including the use of drones - in his findings, which are due to be published online.

Police firearms ‘woefully inadequate’ to combat killers

Mr Ryan continued by saying all constables were appropriately trained for their attendance on the job, but their Glock handguns were “woefully inadequate” to match the Trian’s high-powered rifles.

“Even if they had been wearing a vest with high-armoured plates, I am not satisfied this would have prevented their deaths,” he said.

“It is difficult to see how any officers would have been adequately equipped to respond (to what lay in wait).”

Turning to Mr Dare’s death, Mr Ryan said he would have had “limited information” when he left his property to investigate the fire, including there were “active armed shooters” in the area.

He did not accept the submission from the Dare family surrounding the police failing to inform Alan’s widow, Kerrie, about the scenario.

Mr Ryan said steps were being taken to address mobile blackspots in the area.

Evidence was given during the inquest that officers ran into issues with coverage impacting communication attempts.

“I have concluded the command and control of the operation... (by police) was appropriate,” Mr Ryan said.

The decision to leave Mr Dare’s body at the scene was deemed “appropriate”.

Inside delusional worldview of homicidal killers

Queensland Police SERT officers try to negotiate with the Train family after they murdered two police officers and a civilian at Wieambilla in December 2022.

Nathaniel, Gareth and Tracey had been living “off-grid” with little electricity and tank water ahead of the attack, while stockpiling weapons and fortifying their Wains Rd property.

This included the construction of sniper hides along the property’s bushland, an “observation point” and the alteration of a curve in the track leading to their house, which the inquest was told was built to limit the manoeuvrability of approaching vehicles.

In his findings, Mr Ryan concluded all three of the Trains were suffering from a shared psychotic delusion and were “unwell” and driven by “persecutory beliefs”.

“They were intent on killing the officers and if necessary, intent on dying rather than being taken into custody,” he said.

Mr Ryan found all three were acting “defensively” in what the Train family regarded as an “evil advance” on them.

“It is not possible to conclude Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel committed a terrorist act,” he said.

Mr Ryan found no government had any intel or information regarding how the Train family would act in the “unprecedented and extremely violent” way they did on December 12, 2022.

POLAIR vision has revealed the tense final moments during the shootout at Wieambilla

During the inquest, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Aboud gave evidence the trio’s delusions primarily focused around Gareth Train’s obsession with “neurological bioweapons”, “religions” and his distrust of authorities.

Dr Aboud gave evidence these delusions progressed from the conspiracies about CIA-run military program MKUltra, to weapons manufacturer Raytheon, to believing the Covid-19 vaccination was a way for the government to target the population.

Gareth began to view believe the vaccines were turning people into “non-humans” wearing “meat suits”.

Before the shootings, he sent a series of emails warning he and Nathaniel would be ready to greet the “bully men” (a slang term for police) … as they deserve” and said: “If trouble ­arrives on my doorstep, it will be dealt with forthwith, as it always has”.