Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were killed at a property in Wieambilla, about three hours west of Brisbane, on Mondayafternoon as they carried out a missing persons call.
A neighbour, now identified as Alan Dare, was also shot and killed in the attack, which sparked a massive manhunt for the offenders.
Tactical response officers were called in. Later, brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train, and the latter’s wife Stacey, were shot dead.
According to the Daily Mail, constables McCrow and Arnold were not just colleagues, they also lived together in the town of Tara, about 60km away from Wieambilla.
Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot and killed at a Queensland property. Photo / Facebook
The housemates lived in the same police housing unit in the town.
Previously they were stationed together in Dalby.
The news outlet also reported that Arnold had packed up his car and was planning to drive to Brisbane to see his parents for the Christmas break on Tuesday.
“He would already be driving back home if he never got that call yesterday,” said a friend.
A crew each from Tara and Chinchilla police stations had arrived at the remote property about 4.40pm, and a source close to the investigation told NCA NewsWire what unfolded next was “very, very rapid”.
Constable Keeley Brough was one of the officers who survived the shooting. Photo / Facebook
McCrow and Arnold arrived in the first vehicle, and met up with a second car containing Constable Keely Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, both aged 28, before approaching the property.
McCrow and Arnold then honked their horn to alert the residents of their presence.
When there was no movement from inside the house, the four officers got out of their cars and approached the house.
McCrow and Arnold jumped over the locked fence, and the other two followed.
Seconds later, a shower of bullets descended on the four officers.
McCrow and Arnold were instantly hit, and fell to the ground.
NCA NewsWire understands Kirk was also shot in the leg in the same hail of gunfire, but managed to make it back to his police car as he hadn’t jumped the fence.
The offenders gave chase and fired into his car as he drove away, calling for help, causing him to become showered in shards of glass.
As the assailants tried to hunt down Kirk, his colleague Brough had managed to escape on foot into dense scrubland.
Union boss Ian Leavers revealed the team of 16 special forces officers sent in to retrieve the dead bodies of their colleagues and Dare and to extract Brough from the burning bush were also shot at in a final sickening act.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the bravery of the surviving officers was “unbelievable”.
“To think that they survived the scene, let alone then got out to make phone calls and call for assistance, was just extraordinary,” she said.
Carroll said she would be meeting with Brough soon, adding the officer had already talked people through what happened.
“The people that I have spoken to cannot believe how she survived and what she did during that period of time.”
