‘Failed’: Gunman’s daughter warned police before murders

The daughter of Perth gunman Mark James Bombara “raised the alarm” about her father with police three times, telling them she and her mother felt there was a real and imminent threat to their lives, before he murder two women and took his own life.

Last Friday, Bombara shot dead Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, in their Floreat home after he went there in search of his ex-wife.

Ms Petelcyzc was the best friend of Bombara’s ex-partner, who had left him several weeks earlier after a string of family and domestic violence incidents.

“My mother and I made it clear that our lives were at risk – we were repeatedly ignored, repeatedly failed,” Ms Bombara said.

“These failures have cost the lives of two incredible women.

“I did everything I could to protect my mother — when my father couldn’t find us, he murdered her best friend and her best friend’s daughter.”

On March 28, Ms Bombara and her mother fled their family home in Mosman Park in fear of their lives, escaping an abusive situation.

Between March 30 and April 2, Ms Bombara spoke with police three times about her father, each time telling them about his guns and that they felt their was a real danger to their lives.

“I specifically mentioned that there was a Glock handgun, which was unaccounted for,” she said.

“My understanding is this ultimately would be one of the weapons that my father used to take the lives of two innocent women.”

Ms Bombara asked police if she and her mother could take out a 72-hour temporary protective order but was told police could not do anything about the situation.

On April 2, Ariel and her mother were escorted by police to their Mosman Park home to collect their belongings.

It was the third time they warned police about Bombara’s guns.

“One officer said, ‘oh don’t worry, we know all about the guns’, and when he called for backup, he warned his fellow officers to wear bullet proof vests,” Ms Bombara said.

“We were ignored by five different male officers across three occasions of reporting.”

Ms Bombara said she did everything she could to protect her mother, and when her father couldn’t find them he murdered her best friend and her best friend’s daughter.

She said what her father did was an act of domestic violence, and that they were repeatedly ignored and failed by authorities which cost the lives of two incredible women.

“My father should always be considered accountable for his actions,” she said.

“They were his and his alone. However, there are authorities who should have helped us to stop him, and they failed.

“I want answers.”

The police commissioner will address the media later on Tuesday.

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