New details have emerged about the bizarre trap set on a rural Queensland property where a family was waiting for police, preparing for what would become a deadly ambush.
Police officers Rachel McCraw, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were killed after attending the home of Gareth Train and his wife Stacey in Waynes Road, while carrying out a welfare check on Gareth’s brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022.
Without realizing it, the officers had fallen into a carefully planned trap in which they, along with two other officers — Constables Kelly Brough and Randall Kirk — were shot, the investigation into the deaths learned.
Footage from Constable Kirk’s body camera was shown in court as she made her opening statement by the coroner’s assistant, Ruth O’Gorman KC.
The footage shows the four officers jumping over a fence on the train property at around 4.35pm to approach the house on foot. Ms O’Gorman said that less than two minutes after the officers entered the property “I heard a gunshot”.
Officer Arnold was only 120 metres from the front gate from which the officers came when he was shot in the chest and died.
The investigation said the fatal shot was fired by Nathaniel, who was likely in a “hiding place” waiting for the victim.
Photos of the hideout were shown in court Monday, showing an elaborate setup hidden among the tree debris that included a large tent, weights, a copy of “The Godfather” and a chair with severed legs that allowed the killer to have a direct line of sight through the opening to allow him to see anyone approaching the front gate.
Ms O’Gorman said that before the first shot was fired, the officers were not aware that they were walking into an ambush.
Investigations revealed that Police Officer Macro 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 communicate on her radio, Constable McCraw recorded the horrific events she experienced at the time in what is known as a case report,” Ms O’Gorman said.
“She also recorded a love letter to her family.”
The inquest heard that while it was not clear who fired the three non-fatal shots at Constable Macro, it was likely that Gareth Train pulled the trigger, causing the fatal shot to be fired.
Ms O’Gorman said Constable McCraw had shown “great courage and honour” during her final moments.
“It was about seven minutes from the moment the bullet was fired that killed Officer Arnold to the moment Officer McCro died,” she said.
“At that time, she was shot, and she did not know who shot her.
“Despite being ambushed, and undoubtedly in pain and terror, Officer Macro showed great courage and honor.”
Alan Deer, 58, lived in a nearby property and came to check on the property after seeing smoke in the area.
He was assassinated moments after arriving to help.
It is understood he was fatally shot in the back by a train, but the inquest was told the investigation was unable to determine who was responsible.
Detective Inspector Susan Newton, who led the investigation into the deaths of police officers McCraw, Arnold and Mr Deer, told the hearing on Monday that she was able to identify the voices heard on the audio recorded by the officers’ body cameras with the help of Nathaniel and Stacey’s son.
The former couple had two children before splitting and Stacey married Nathaniel’s brother, Gareth.
Inspector Newton said the audio recording was of a phone call made in hospital where Nathaniel was recovering after suffering a cardiac arrest in August 2021 between the brothers and Stacey.
The investigation committee learned that through audio on a body-worn camera, the brothers could be heard talking to each other moments after the killings of Officers Arnold and McCraw.
“He really ran away,” Gareth said.
“The other car went… I took a car.”
Nathaniel replied, “Do you want to go ahead or stay here?”
Moments later, Inspector Newton said, he heard Nathaniel say, “One went to the right and three went to the left.”
“In the range, there were three to his left… I was looking at them,” Nathaniel said.
“It could have broken that way, but I’m pretty sure it went right.”
It is understood that Nathaniel was describing the actions of Officer Proof in this verbal exchange with his brother before the two began lighting several fires in an attempt to extinguish them with smoke.
On Monday, the inquest heard that Constable Proof spent nearly two hours waiting to be rescued as flames licked her feet.
The officer, who had been on the job for less than nine weeks, was able to seek shelter in the bush.
Inquiries have heard that she managed to dial 000 on her mobile phone at 4.34pm while trying to hide in the grass, which was about eight inches high.
Ms O’Gorman said a man’s voice could be heard on Constable Arnold’s body camera saying “there’s another one somewhere”.
Policewoman Proof, who stayed on the line with the operator at 000, expressed concern for her life.
“I think they know I’m here, I’m scared,” she said.
She was rescued at around 6.34pm after running to the front gate where officers were waiting to collect her when it was safe to do so.
The SWAT officers shot all three members of the Trinh family after a long siege, with only seven minutes between them.
Ms O’Gorman said Stacey was killed first – at 10.32pm – by a gunshot to the head.
Gareth was also killed four minutes later, from a gunshot wound to the head.
Nathaniel was the last remaining member of the train crew before he was shot in the head and torso, at 10.39pm.
Months after the massacre, police confirmed that the gang members had embraced an extremist Christian ideology known as “pre-Christian millenarianism” and were operating as an “independent cell” to carry out their “religiously motivated terrorist attack”.
Poulaire noted at the inquest on Monday that Gareth and Stacey were seen sitting at a table in the hours after they killed two police officers and a civilian to record a video that was later uploaded to YouTube.
In the video shown to the court, the couple confirmed that they killed two police officers.
“They came to kill us, so we killed them,” Gareth says in the video.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these demons and their helpers, you are a coward.”
Then Stacey adds, “We’ll see you when we get home.” Then, “We love you.”
“We’ll see you at home, Don,” Gareth says.
Ms O’Gorman told the inquest that “Don” was a man living in America and the couple had talked to him about their beliefs.
She said that “home” refers to Don’s vision in the afterlife.
The investigation continues.
