The three conspiracy theorists behind the horrific Wieambilla massacre, whose ‘off-grid’ home was stacked with heavy-duty weapons and camouflage supplies, ‘shared delusional disorder’, a Queensland coroner has ruled.
Gareth Train, his wife Stacey, and his brother Nathaniel, gunned down two police officers during an ambush on their rural property in the Western Downs area, west of Brisbane, on December 12, 2022.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot at close range within ten minutes of entering the property to conduct a welfare check on Nathaniel, who was reported missing by NSW Police at the time.
Good Samaritan neighbour Alan Dare was also murdered by the Trains when he came to investigate after he spotted smoke billowing from the property.
The Trains were subsequently killed in a gunfight with police later that night after a lengthy siege.
A five-week long inquest last year revealed photos of the compound and large weapons arsenal that the Train family had built up.
One photo displayed of a large stash of weapons from the home, laid out by authorities, including knives, axes, bats, machetes, what appeared to be a spear, at least a dozen boxes of ammunition, and a bow and arrow.
Another photo showed one of the slain officer’s taser and handgun sitting on an outdoor table after being taken off their bodies by one of the Trains.
Photos taking by authorities following the tragedy showed the alarming arsenal of weapons collected by the Trains, including axes, knives and what appeared to be spears
A five-week long inquest last year revealed photos of the compound and large weapons arsenal that the Train family had built up
Gareth Train and his wife Stacey (pictured), with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, fatally shot two Queensland officers during an ambush on their rural Wieambilla property in December 2022
Nathaniel Train (pictured), his brother Gareth and Gareth’s wife Stacey were subsequently killed in a gun fight with police after a lengthy siege
Another photo seen by the inquest showed a rifle covered in camouflage inside the Trains’ car
The Trains’ casual treatment of guns appeared to be reflected by several photos revealed during proceedings, with a gun pictured on top of a dresser and a rifle covered in camouflage inside a car.
The inquest also saw a still image from bodycam footage belonging to one of the deceased police officers.
In it, a member of the Train family can be seen armed with a rifle near a pile of police gear taken from the bodies of Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold.
Authorities also found, and photographed, a sniper hide covered in branches and leaves with a small opening towards the front gate of the Train property.
The inquest also saw the Trains’ vast stash of camouflage gear, including bags, caps and pouches.
There were also photographs of sheets of cardboard peppered with gunshots that are understood to have been used for shooting practice.
On Friday, State Coroner Terry Ryan finally delivered his official findings that the four police officers attending the property to check on Nathaniel were ‘adequately equipped and trained’ to respond to a missing persons case, ABC News reports.
However, he added that their equipment was ‘woefully inadequate to (defend) themselves or each other on the attack they faced’.
Constable Matthew Arnold (left) and Constable Rachel McCrow were killed by the Trains
Good Samaritan neighbour Alan Dare (pictured) was also killed by the Trains when he came to investigate after he spotted smoke billowing from their property
The constables were two of four officers visiting the Trains’ remote Wieambilla property to conduct a welfare check on Nathaniel Train, who had been reported missing by NSW Police
Inside the home, a double-barrelled shotgun vies for space with flyspray
‘They were no match for an ambush,’ Mr Ryan said.
‘(I’m) not satisfied extra protection may have prevented their deaths … given the wholly unexpected and unprecedented nature of what was lying in wait.’
Mr Ryan said he believed there was nothing surviving constables Keely Brough and Constable Randall Kirk could have done to stop the death of their colleagues.
Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel each had an ‘undiagnosed and untreated psychotic illness’, he said.
But the coroner concluded it was ‘not possible’ to classify the murders committed by the Trains as a terrorist act, adding the current definition of terrorism was ‘narrow’.
During last year’s inquest, the coroner heard that NSW Police Detective Senior Constable Tim Montgomery had contacted Chinchilla officers near Wieambilla asking if they could attend the property for a missing persons ‘welfare check’ on Nathaniel Train, but did not share the latest police reports.
Some of the reports summarised emails from Gareth Train telling his brother officers wanted to ‘see you dead’ and vowing to ‘greet them as they deserve’ if they turned up to his remote bush property.
In his official findings on Friday, Mr Ryan said he could not make any definitive findings on information NSW Police provided to their Queensland counterparts about the missing persons case.
But he said that, if those emails had been sent, ‘it’s not possible to know if it would have delayed attendance at the Wieambilla property’ or ‘which officers attended’.
One of the slain officer’s tasers and handguns were photographed on an outdoor table after being taken off their bodies by one of the Trains, the inquest heard
The Trains brothers and Stacey (pictured with Gareth Train) had become increasingly obsessed with anti-authority conspiracy theories prior to the shooting, the inquest heard
Queensland Police detailed all areas of interest, including where the Trains’ locations, across the Trains’ compound for the inquest last year
There were at least a dozen boxes of ammunition, including for shotguns, on the property
In her analysis of the property last year, Senior Sergeant Kirsty Gleeson told the inquest it was designed for ‘off-grid’ living.
There was no main line power, water or sewerage connected to the house, but there were solar panels attached to the roof of the laundry.
The Trains relied on tank water and had non-perishable foods stashed in their home and an Esky found in one of their vehicles. Toilet paper was kept in the pantry.
Troubling details about the love triangle between the Train brothers and Stacey emerged in the days following the tragedy, with the siblings’ father, Ronald, claiming Gareth ‘took over’ his younger brother’s marriage.
Gareth and Nathaniel had become estranged from their conservative Christian pastor father following the breakdown of Stacey’s relationship with Nathaniel.
The siblings and Stacey then became increasingly obsessed with anti-authority conspiracy theories.
Shortly after the constables were shot dead, Gareth and Stacey ranted about ‘devils’ and ‘demons’ in a since-deleted video on their YouTube channel.
The couple recorded themselves huddling in the darkness and boasting about the cold-blooded killings.
The inquest was shown the bare interior of the Trains’ property was designed for ‘off-grid’ living, including a first aid kit (pictured)
The inquest saw a still image from bodycam footage belonging to one of the officers in which a member of the Train family can be seen armed with a rifle near a pile of police gear
Authorities found, and photographed, a sniper hide covered in branches and leaves with a small opening towards the front gate of the Train property
The Trains’ home at the centre of the compound where the firefight erupted
In the clip, seen and verified by Daily Mail at the time, Gareth said: ‘They came to kill us and we killed them’. He also refers to the cops as ‘devils and demons’.
Stacey Train finishes the video by saying ‘we’ll see you when you get home’ and ‘love you, Don’. It is unclear who precisely they are referring to.
Nathaniel Train does not feature in the clip. About three hours after the video was published, the three Train family members were shot dead by tactical police.