Large bushland blocks similar to where six people were violently killed in Queensland were known for having ‘mantraps’ and signs threatening to shoot upon entry, a coroner has heard.
Two police officers were killed at a remote property at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, on the afternoon of December 12, 2022 when an arrest warrant turned into an ambush by shooters with high-powered rifles.
Constable Craig Loveland testified on Thursday at the inquest at Brisbane Coroners Court.
He told State Coroner Terry Ryan he was at Tara Police Station about 30km south of Wieambilla when he got the call to assist a ‘shots fired’ incident.
Const Loveland said the incident was in an area known as ‘the blocks’ and he had been advised by more experienced officers not to attend that area by himself.
‘I was told to get a second officer for certain areas and certain addresses … there were signs saying ‘do not enter or you will be shot’,’ he said.
Const Loveland said he had seen the signs himself and had probably entered properties with them.
‘Certain addresses had mantraps, pits with spikes and other things around the block in certain properties … to injure people when they entered,’ he said.
Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train had lain mantraps to ambush the cops at their compound
Two police officers were killed at a remote property at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, when an arrest warrant turned into an ambush on December 12, 2022
Constable Craig Loveland testified that the incident was in an area known as ‘the blocks’ and he had been advised by more experienced officers not to attend that area by himself
Constable Christopher Sharman, who responded from Dalby about one hour’s drive away, testified he could not get a police radio signal when he arrived.
‘We had no communications by radio … the QLITE (police tablet computer) dropped out. Our map was not working very well,’ he said.
Mr Ryan heard the officers who responded to help were not allowed to approach the shooting scene as they were armed with Glock pistols with a 15-metre accuracy range.
The suspects were armed with high-powered rifles and had fired at officers while at long range and hidden.
Const Loveland said one of the few officers trained to use the rifles kept at police stations was Constable Matthew Arnold, who had been killed during the initial shooting.
Mr Ryan released multiple videos ahead of Thursday’s inquest hearing.
They were mainly captured after sunset that day via infrared cameras on two police helicopters as they circled a house surrounded by bushland about three hours after two officers had been killed.
Gareth Train and his wife Stacey, and Nathaniel Train, set a perimeter of small fires around the property before police arrived, then Gareth shot at a helicopter and filmed a YouTube video
A burning police vehicle and a perimeter of small fires set by Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train around their property can be seen in the footage.
Gareth Train is seen firing a rifle at one of the helicopters before sitting down at an outside table with his wife Stacey and recording a YouTube video with her.
‘They came to kill us and we killed them … If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward,’ Gareth Train said in the video.
Nathaniel Train can later be seen lying prone behind a log and firing at an armoured BearCat police vehicle using a rifle with a scope.
Soon after the video ends, all three Trains were fatally shot by police within minutes of each other.
Constables Arnold and Rachel McCrow were shot dead at 4.37pm as they walked with another two officers up a driveway leading to the property intending to locate Nathaniel Train.
Constables Arnold and McCrow were shot dead at 4.37pm while attempting to locate Nathaniel Train
Mr Ryan previously heard that then-Inspector Wayne Rasmussen was assigned the role of forward commander at 4.47pm after reports of two officers being shot.
Mr Rasmussen was due to give evidence on Thursday at the five-week inquest.
Mr Rasmussen approved a rescue mission for Constable Keely Brough as she was in danger of being shot or burned to death by a fire lit by the Trains to flush her out.
During Mr Rasmussen’s command, Wieambilla resident Alan Dare was shot dead by the Trains after he went to investigate the fire.
Mr Rasmussen handed over command of the scene to the Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) at 9.05pm.
By 10.41pm, all three Trains had been fatally shot by SERT officers after they refused to negotiate and fired on police.
