Three suspects who executed two young police officers in a cold-blooded shooting have themselves been killed in a shootout with special forces to end a day of shocking violence in a remote part of Queensland.
Two officers, a 29-year-old man and 26-year-old woman attended a property near Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane, with two other police on a missing persons investigation when gunmen inside a small wooden house let loose a volley of shots as they approached.
The gunmen then emerged to kill two stricken officers execution-style, while a third officer who was shot in the leg managed to escape and a fourth fled into surrounding bushland.
A neighbour who came to investigate the gunfire was also fatally shot.
The incident occurred between 4pm and 5pm local time, and a massive search began for the gunmen who were located.
Sporadic gunfire was reported by locals through the night before a climactic shootout with the Special Emergency Response Team police about 11.30pm which left three people – reportedly two men and a woman – dead.
The Courier Mail reported that Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers had confirmed that all the offenders were killed.
The officer who received a grazing shot to the leg was treated in the nearby town of Chinchilla, while the female officer who took cover in the scrub was later rescued by a specialist police tactical team which had scrambled to the scene.
Emergency crews at the rural property south of Chinchilla on Monday afternoon
The Australian Prime Minister expressed his condolences on Monday night
The town of Wieambilla, just south of Chinchilla in Queensland, has a population of about 100
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed three people have killed
At least one of the three gunmen was reportedly wearing camouflage and he walked up and shot the officers again as they lay injured on the ground.
Police-issued Glock pistols are then understood to have been lifted from the bodies and a fire was lit in an attempt to smoke out the remaining female officer who sought cover.
Queensland Police said ‘several’ police crews and PolAir helicopters were rushed to the scene.
The two officers’ bodies were retrieved by the tactical police team.
‘It’s just such a major shock to everyone,’ Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh told Daily Mail Australia.
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‘We are a very close-knit community and the Western Downs is a very caring region, so to have a tragedy like this, it’s just awful and our thoughts are with the police, their families and those affected.’
Western Down Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh (pictured) said the community would rally behind the families, friends and colleagues of the officers and neighbour who were killed
The public was earlier told to avoid the area and nearby residents within the emergency zone – declared under the Public Safety Preservation Act – were ordered to remain indoors.
The swathe of land in and around the exclusion zone is mainly made up of smaller farming properties, that have been subdivided and sold off over the past decades.
It is understood the area has a reputation for growing cannabis and often attracts people looking for a ‘recluse lifestyle’.
The zone for the emergency declaration as announced by Queensland Police
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed the deaths of the officer and the neighbour at an emotional press conference about 10.30pm Monday.
‘While we are yet to learn the full extent of what has occurred today, we do know this event is extraordinarily distressing on many levels. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the officers’ families, friends and colleagues,’ she said.
‘Those officers paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our community safe. I would like to also pay tribute to all police and first responders who assisted at the scene.
‘Tragically, this is the largest loss of life we have suffered in one single incident in recent times.
‘It is devastating news and I know that it will deeply be felt across Queensland. It is, sadly, a reminder of the unpredictable nature of policing and the incredible dangers our officers face while protecting our community.
‘I know the days and weeks ahead will be particularly difficult for families and the police family. We are an organisation in mourning tonight and at the appropriate time we will honour the sacrifice these officers have made for us.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was heartbroken for the families and friends of the officers who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
‘My condolences to all who are grieving tonight – Australia mourns with you,’ he tweeted.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called the deaths a ‘horrible tragedy’ while federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton – a former Queensland police officer – said the incident was ‘deeply distressing’.
‘Police officers face danger every day to keep us from it,’ he said.
Police were called to the property and were fired upon from inside with several more police crews rushing to the scene
