Crime

6 Shot Dead in Ambush on Police Officers at Remote Australian Property

Australian authorities confirmed Tuesday that two of their officers died after a shootout property in Queensland

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Published on December 13, 2022 12:12 PM

Wain's Road in Wieambilla, Queensland, — Photo: JASON O'BRIEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Six people have been shot dead during a suspected ambush in the town of Wieambilla, 168 miles west of Brisbane, Australia.

Queensland Police confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the deaths include two officers who were called to a home in the remote Australian region at 4:30 p.m. Monday to investigate a missing person.

Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, and Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, were then "shot by two armed offenders as they approached the residence on the property," added the release.

A third officer suffered a "bullet graze" and is currently being treated in the hospital, police continued, while a fourth escaped without physical injury.

Tragically, a neighbor, Alan Dare, 58, also died in the ambush after going to investigate the situation, Queensland Police confirmed Tuesday.

A major police investigation is now underway to ascertain how the officers were ambushed at the property, which later developed into what the authorities described as "a siege situation. It also resulted in the deaths of two men and a woman aged in their mid-40s, who were fatally shot by specialist police at the scene around 10.30 p.m.

"All Australians are shocked and saddened by this tragic loss of life," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday in a press conference. He added that it was "a devastating day."

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll also extended her "heartfelt condolences to the officers' families, friends and colleagues," involved in the shootout.

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"I would like to pay tribute to all police and first responders who assisted at the scene," she added in a release.

"Tragically, this is the largest loss of life the QPS has suffered in one single incident in recent times," continued Carroll. "It is devastating news and I know it will be deeply felt across Queensland.

"It is a sad reminder of the unpredictable nature of policing and the incredible dangers our officers face while protecting our community."

According to the BBC, the uninjured officer was a rookie patrolman who survived by finding cover and messaging her loved ones for help.

The suspects then tried to lure her out by lighting a fire so "she did not know whether she was going to be shot, or she was going to burnt alive," Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"I do know she was sending messages to loved ones, saying she was at a point where she thought it was her time. What was going through her mind, one cannot comprehend," Leavers added.

"In my view, the officers didn't stand a chance, and I don't know how two got out alive," Carroll said after visiting the scene, reported NBC News.

"It is an unimaginable tragedy," Carroll added. "This has been incredibly distressing and tragic for everyone, particularly family, officers involved, colleagues, the organization and the community."

"To lose two officers in one incident is absolutely devastating," she said, per NBC News.