Wieambilla shooting: US man Donald Day Jr 'urged no mercy' before Aussie cops gunned down

A US man messaged an Australian family urging “absolutely no quarter” for police days before two officers and a neighbour were shot dead, Arizona prosecutors claim.

Brothers Nathaniel, 46, and Gareth Train, 47, used high-powered rifles during an ambush to kill Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, at a remote property at Wieambilla west of Brisbane, on December 12, 2022.

Arizona man Donald Day Jr, 60, was charged a year later in the US with making threats to public figures and FBI agents, as well as with illegal firearms possession.

In exhibits filed in the US District Court of Arizona, prosecutors alleged Day, under the screen name ‘Geronimo’s Bones’ used Google’s Gmail and YouTube to communicate with Gareth Train.

Prosecutors also submitted pictures of Day’s Arizona property, which they claimed showed “strategic shooting locations” or sniper hides similar to those found at Wieambilla, as well as signage issuing threats.

Gareth Train posted online that Queensland police had visited his front gate in an attempt to assist with a missing persons report for his brother.

“‘Welfare checks’ AKA state sponsored murder has started again. These fools are stepping into a world of hurt they know nothing of. Be well brother,” the post read.

Day responded that law enforcement officers were “malignant, malformed and malevolent”.

“We too are settled in this matter. Absolutely no quarter. It is time,” Day allegedly wrote.

Day allegedly made this apparent reference to soldiers executing wartime prisoners days before a group of four junior Queensland Police officers returned to the Trains’ property.

Gareth Train shot Const McCrow in the head at close range after gunshot wounds left immobile and she had fired off all the ammunition in her service pistol.

Nathaniel Train joined Gareth and his sibling’s wife Stacey, 45, to fatally shoot neighbour Alan Dare, 58, soon after killing the two constables.

All three Trains were shot dead by specialist police officers hours after the ambush when they refused to negotiate or surrender.

Day has entered not guilty pleas to all US charges and denied any involvement in the Wieambilla shootings.

Day allegedly sent messages about a “Christian end-of-days ideology” known as premillennialism to the Trains between May 2021 and December 2022.

An inquest into the shootings was told the Trains had paranoid beliefs police were “devils and demons” who would transform the family into mindless slaves.

US prosecutors filed the exhibits this week in response to a motion from Day’s lawyer to block Queensland police from testifying at his trial, saying it would be prejudicial for the jury to hear their “emotionally charged testimony”.

Prosecutor Timothy Courchaine said the evidence and context from Queensland was needed to prove Day was serious when he threatened to kill public figures in the same way Gareth and Stacey Train had fatally shot “devils”.

The US District Court is due to hold a hearing on Wednesday on Day’s application to exclude evidence with the trial itself due to start on April 22.