Queensland shooting: Surviving police officer pays tribute to colleagues at candlight vigil

Constable Keely Brough, who survived the Wieambilla shooting, was among hundreds of people who attended the vigil in Chinchilla on Friday night.

Bouquets on grass with a note reading "thank you for your service"

Flowers, cards, and soft toys have been left outside the Chinchilla police station. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien

Key Points
  • Constable Keely Brough survived Monday's shooting at a rural property in Wieambilla, Queensland.
  • She attended a vigil for the victims of the shooting on Friday night.
  • Police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were killed in the siege, alongside local resident Alan Dare.
A policewoman who survived a deadly shooting at a rural property in Queensland has paid tribute to the victims at a candlelight vigil.

Constable Keely Brough stood with members of Queensland Police at a memorial in Chinchilla on Friday night, honouring Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and resident Alan Dare.

at a rural property at Wieambilla, about three hours west of Brisbane, on Monday.

Constable Brough and escaped the ordeal with minor injuries.

Killers Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train died in a subsequent firefight with heavily armed tactical officers.
Hundreds of people held candles at the gathering on Friday night and lined a street to form a guard of honour for police and ambulance officers.

Queensland Assistant Commissioner Charysse Pond read out a message from Constable Arnold's family, thanking members of the public and police for their support.

A fundraiser for the widow of Mr Dare had raised more than $77,000 by Saturday morning.

A funeral service with full police honours will be held in Brisbane for the fallen officers on Wednesday.

The show of solidarity came after it was revealed the armed assassins involved in the shooting uploaded the names of individual police officers to conspiracy websites days before the deadly confrontation.
A composite image of the slain police officers
Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were responding to a call for a missing person when confronted by a "hail of gunshots" at a remote Queensland property. Source: Supplied / Queensland Police
The disturbing posts from the killers prompted calls for a security review for police.

shows a couple, believed to be Gareth and Stacey Train, admit to the killings.

"They came to kill us, and we killed them," the man says.

However, in an earlier video, posted on 8 December, Gareth Train names individual officers from Queensland and NSW including contact details, stations and phone extensions.

The police union has called for security to be reviewed amid concerns of reprisal attacks and officers holding genuine fears for their safety, sources told AAP.
Police continue to probe the Train brothers' online activities, including their involvement in extremist conspiracy groups and forums.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said security agencies were actively considering .

She said conspiracy theories and disinformation were being "turbocharged by technology into terrible acts of violence".

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, a former Queensland police officer, likened the killers to Islamic extremists and raised serious concerns about online radicalisation.

The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mike Burgess, previously expressed concerns with the rise of online radicalisation.

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3 min read
Published 17 December 2022 11:57am
Source: AAP



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