Bizarre set up waiting for slain cops: court

New details have emerged about the bizarre trap created on a rural Queensland property where a family laid in wait for police, ready to launch what would become a fatal ambush.

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were murdered after they attended the Wains Rd property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, while performing a welfare check for Gareth’s brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022.

Unknowingly, the officers had walked into an elaborately staged trap where they, along with two other officers – Constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk – were met with gunfire, an inquest into the deaths has heard.

Footage from Constable Kirk’s body worn camera was played in court as counsel assisting the coroner, Ruth O’Gorman KC, gave her opening address.

The vision shows the four officers jumping the fence at the Train property about 4.35pm to approach the house on foot. Ms O’Gorman said less than two minutes after the officers entered the property “a shot rang out”.

Constable Arnold was only 120m from the front gate where the officers had come from when he shot in the chest and died.

The inquest was told the fatal bullet had been fired by Nathaniel, who was most likely in a “hide out” lying in wait.

Images of the hide out were displayed in court on Monday, showing an elaborate set up hidden among tree debris which featured a large tent, dumbbells, a copy of the book ‘The Godfather’ and a chair with sawn-off legs that allowed the shooter to have a direct line of vision through the cutout to allow them to see anyone who approached the front gate.

Ms O’Gorman said before the first shot, the officers were not aware they were walking into an ambush.

The inquest heard Constable McCrow was shot in the back while trying to use her radio to call for help.

She was then shot in the lower right leg and upper left leg at 4.38pm.

“Unable to call out on her radio, Constable McCrow recorded the harrowing events that she had then lived through in what is known as a sitrep, or a situational report,” Ms O’Gorman said.

“She also recorded a message of love for her family.”

The inquest was told while it was unclear who fired the three non-fatal shot at Constable McCrow, Gareth Train likely pulled the trigger causing the fatal shot.

Ms O’Gorman said Constable McCrow showed “great courage and honour” during her final moments.

“It was about seven minutes from the time of the shot that killed Constable Arnold to the time of Constable McCrow’s death,” she said.

“In that time she was injured by gunshot wounds, her shooters unknown to her.

“Despite being ambushed, in pain and no doubt terrified, Constable McCrow showed great courage and honour.”

Alan Dare, 58, lived at a nearby property and came to investigate after seeing smoke in the area.

He was murdered moments after he arrived to help.

It’s understood he was fatally shot in the back by one of the Trains, but the inquest was told an investigation could not determine by who.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Newton, who led the investigation into the deaths of Constables McCrow and Arnold and Mr Dare, told the inquest on Monday she’d been able to identify the voices heard in audio captured by the officers body worn cameras through the assistance of Nathaniel and Stacey’s son.

The former couple had two children before separating and Stacey went onto marry Nathaniel’s brother, Gareth.

Detective Inspector Newton said an audio recording of a telephone call made in a hospital where Nathaniel had been recovering after suffering cardiac arrest in August 2021 between the two brothers and Stacey.

The inquest heard that through the body worn camera audio, both brothers could be heard speaking to each other moments after Constables Arnold and McCrow were killed.

“He f**king ran,” Gareth said.

“The other car’s gone … took a car.”

Nathaniel replied: “do you want to move forward or stay here”.

Detective Inspector Newton said moments later Nathaniel was heard saying “one went right and three went to the left”.

“In the scope, there were three to the left of him … I was looking at them,” Nathaniel said.

“He could have broken that way, but I’m pretty sure he went to the right.”

It’s understood Nathaniel was describing Constable Brough’s movements in this verbal exchange with his brother before the pair started several fires to try to smoke her out.

On Monday, the inquest had heard Constable Brough spent nearly two hours waiting to be rescued as flames licked her feet.

The officer, who had only been on the job for less than nine weeks, had managed to seek shelter in bushland.

The inquest heard she was able to call 000 on her mobile phone at 4.34pm as she tried to remain hidden in the grass, which was about eight inches tall.

Ms O’Gorman said a male’s voice could be heard on Constable Arnold’s body worn camera saying ‘there’s one more somewhere’.

Constable Brough, who remained on the line with the 000 call operator, revealed her concern for her life.

“I think they know I’m here, I’m scared,” she said.

She was rescued about 6.34pm after running to the front gate where officers were waiting to collect her when it was safe to do so.

Special Emergency Response Team officers shot all three members of the Train family following a lengthy siege within seven minutes of each other.

Ms O’Gorman said Stacey was killed first – at 10.32pm – from a gunshot wound to the head.

Gareth was killed four minutes afterwards, also from a gunshot wound to the head.

Nathaniel was the last standing Train member before he was shot in the head and torso, at 10.39pm.

Months after the massacre, police confirmed the Trains had prescribed to an extremist Christian ideology known as “premillennialism” and acted as an “autonomous cell” to carry out their “religiously motivated terrorist attack”.

The inquest heard on Monday Gareth and Stacey had been seen by Polair to be seen sitting at a table during the hours after they killed two police officers and a civilian to record a video which was later uploaded to YouTube.

The video, which was played to the court, saw the married couple confirming they’d killed two police officers.

“They came to kill us and we killed them,” Gareth says in the video.

“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward.”

Stacey then adds: “We’ll see you when we get home.” And then: “We love you.”

Gareth says: “We’ll see you at home Don.”

Ms O’Gorman told the inquest “Don” was a man in America who the couple had been speaking with about their beliefs.

She said “home” referenced to seeing Don in the afterlife.

The inquest continues.