Queensland police officer shot in Wieambilli tells inquest he had no choice but to flee

A police officer says he had no choice but to flee from three gunmen who killed two of his colleagues in Queensland’s Western Downs in 2022.

Police Officer Randall Kirk, 28, went to a remote property in Wieambilli in response to a missing person report. He was accompanied by Police Officers Rachel McCrow, Matthew Arnold and Keely Brough.

Minutes after entering the property, Officers Arnold and McCrow were shot.

Tara police officers Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were killed in Wieambilli.(Provided by: Queensland Police Association)

Later, a neighbor, Alan Dare, who went to see what was happening, was also shot.

The shooters – Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train – were later shot dead after a six-hour siege by specialist police.

On Tuesday, Constable Kirk gave evidence at a coroner’s inquest in Brisbane.

Donald Day Jr. was a close confidant of Stacey and Gareth Train.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Ruth O’Gorman, told him what could be heard on the recording he was wearing after the first shots that killed PC Arnold.

The court heard that PC Kirk fled into a nearby tree before calling his colleague at Chinchilla Police Station, Sergeant Justin Drier.

“Justin, Justin! He has a gun, he shot us.”

“I am – he shot Rachel.”

“He’s got a rifle, he’s coming, f***!”

Ms O’Gorman said more shots were then heard.

“Fuck, I think he killed her. I’m trying, communication’s not working.”

The court heard more shots, then more rang out.

Meanwhile, injured Officer McCrow was transmitting a situation report into her body-worn camera.

Ms O’Gorman said PC Kirk tried to use the radio.

“Urgent urgent urgent. Shots fired.”

But there was no reception. He tried again, but the connection failed.

He called Sergeant Drier again, who asked for another situation report.

RK: “I see two officers down. I don’t see Keely. Rachel is rolling around. I don’t know what Matthew is doing. I don’t know where he (Gareth) went, retreated, potentially getting more ammo.

JD: Where’s Keely, buddy?

RK: “She’s on the left – oh, where’s Keely? I’m behind the tree, I can’t see (where Keely is).”

JD: “Where’s Rachel, can you see Rachel?”

RK: “Yes, I see her. She’s rolling around.”

Body-worn camera footage shown to the court on Monday showed the moments after PC Kirk watched one of the gunmen, who he believed to be Gareth Train, shoot PC McCrow in the head at close range.

He estimated that Gareth was approximately 20 to 30 metres away.

Constable Kirk fired one shot from his Glock but missed.

“After the Glock was fired, did you realize or at least believe that one or more of the shooters knew your location?” Ms. O’Gorman asked.

“I don’t know the exact location, but they had some rough indications based on his movements,” Officer Kirk replied.

He told the court he saw Gareth Train searching the area for him.

“I remember him (Detective Sergeant Drier) saying I had to look after myself. Then I asked him if I should run away?” Constable Kirk told the court.

Aerial photograph of Wieambilli railway station, west of Brisbane, two days after the siege.(ABC news)

Constable Kirk said he saw no other option for himself at that point.

The footage shows him desperately trying to reach the police car, which was approximately 100 metres away.

“There are two of them. I think I was shot, I don’t know where,” he said in the vision.

“Two shots hit the windshield (of the car). I had to drive away a bit. I lost my shoe. I have blood on my face; I don’t know where I was shot.”

On Tuesday, police officer Randall Kirk was called as a witness at an inquest in Brisbane.(AAP Photo: Darren England)

The police system did not trigger the missing person flag

On Tuesday, the court also heard that where a missing person report was made to police, a routine, low-level response was considered necessary.

After checking the train names in the system, no serious warning signs were found that could alert police to potential threats.

Inspector Suzanne Newton of the Ethical Standards Unit was asked why the system had not detected any flag even though Queensland Police knew Nathaniel had illegally crossed the Queensland-New South Wales border while carrying a firearm.

Glenn Ferguson, a lawyer representing the McCrow and Arnold families, said Nathaniel Train crossed the border and “it’s obvious someone had a significant amount of firearms registered to him.”

Mr Ferguson asked if he was someone police should or should deal with “very carefully”.

Det Insp Newton said he had no criminal history and had four registered firearms but only took two with him.

She added that it is not yet known whether he has “hardened anti-vaccination views.”

Det Insp Newton confirmed police knew he had trespassed and disposed of the weapon, saying this was the reason for issuing a warrant for Nathaniel’s arrest.

Nathaniel and Stacey’s son Aidan Train, who is representing himself in court, asked whether there would be a record on the police system if he had filed an AVO against Gareth.

“Do you have an opinion on whether that would raise a flag? If I were to report to the police that Gareth had threatened me and I managed to file an AVO and disclose that he had an illegal firearm?”

Det Insp Newton said if he had been successful in obtaining an AVO and alleged that he was in possession of an unlawful firearm, a flag would have appeared in the system.

A call centre operator said she ‘felt helpless’ while on the phone with an officer

Katherine Beilby was working in the police communications centre in Toowoomba when she received a call from Constable Brough, who had retreated into nearby bushland after hearing the first shots.

Yesterday the court heard that PC Brough lay in the same spot – covered by about twenty centimetres of grass – for just over two hours while Trains tried to pull her out.

Ms Beilby was still on the phone to the officer.

She was visibly upset as she recalled the phone conversation in court on Tuesday.

The court heard PC Brough had to whisper as the shooters approached because she “thought she was going to die”.

Mrs. Beilby answered her in a whisper.

“I remember sitting there and feeling like I was there with her. Down there,” Ms Beilby said.

Ms O’Gorman previously told the court in a telephone conversation that Constable Brough told Ms Beilby the fires were getting closer to her.

“Initially she reported the flames were 15 metres away. Then as time went on she reported they were eight metres away, then five metres, three metres, two metres and one metre away,” Ms O’Gorman said.

Ms Beilby was asked if her superiors had given her any advice about supporting PC Brough.

“I wanted advice. I felt helpless,” she told the court.

“I told (my supervisor) … look, this fire is very close to Keely. She can feel it through her shoes, through her feet. What can I tell her?”

“They couldn’t give me anything, no advice.”

Ms Beilby said she told PC Brough to stay and not get up.

“That was my advice. I didn’t have anyone who could help me with advice. I felt I didn’t want to put Keely in any further danger and I wanted her to stay where she was,” she said.

Dr Ian Freckleton, representative of the Queensland Police Commissioner, passed on the message to Ms Beilby on behalf of the Commissioner.

“(I would like to express) my gratitude for your extraordinary calmness, compassion and professionalism that day,” he said.

“Not only did you make a difference, you may have saved someone’s life.”

The investigation continues. Alan Dare’s neighbour’s wife, Kerry, is due to give evidence on Wednesday.