Lives cruelly cut short: Albanese addresses nation after horrific shooting ambush
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to two young Queensland police officers and a bystander whose lives were “cruelly cut short” after they were shot during an ambush at a Western Downs property on Monday.
Four officers went to a rural property at Wieambilla to investigate reports of a missing person, but were met with a wall of gunfire.
Two officers were killed at the scene, as was a neighbour who responded to the disturbance.
The three attackers, two men and a woman, were shot by police on Monday night following a siege.
Albanese addressed the nation from Kirribilli House in Sydney on Tuesday via a televised address.
He said all Australians were saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of life.
“This is, indeed, a devastating day for everyone who loved these Australians,” he said.
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“This is not a price that anyone who puts on the uniform should ever pay. We can never count the true cost.
“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those affected by this tragedy. With honour, they served and Australia mourns with you today.”
Political leaders have led tributes to the police officers, identified as Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, as well as the neighbour Alan Dare killed in the incident.
Flags on government buildings were flying at half-mast in memory of the two officers, while the Story and Victoria bridges in Brisbane will be lit up in blue and white on Tuesday night in tribute.
“I doubt that this will bring much comfort to the families and loved ones of those who were killed,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.
“They were so young…they were incredibly brave. These were absolutely callous, brutal acts.”
“Both under 30 years of age, both had wonderful careers and lives ahead of them,” QPS Commissioner Katarina Carroll said on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, as they did every day, they put their lives on the line to serve their community.
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“In this awful incident, they made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The loss of lives had rocked the small communities around Wieambilla, Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh said.
“When lives are lost in small communities it impacts on everyone, especially when it’s our police force that we trust,” he told 4BC radio Brisbane on Tuesday.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of grief and sadness as we move through this process.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, himself a Queensland police officer before entering politics, said it was a shocking incident.
“When you have a few police officers who are turning up to check an address, walking up the driveway and they’re gunned down in a cold-blooded style, that will send a shiver down the spine of any police officer attending any job today,” he said.
“Of course the police family is absolutely devastated.
“People will be scarred from the experience. It’s time for our community, for our country to come together around police and support them.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud, the member for Maranoa who grew up in the area where the incident occurred, said the community was numb in the wake of the shooting.
“Chinchilla and Tara are both quiet, peaceful country towns. The shocking event that unfolded yesterday is not what our community is,” he said.
“My thoughts are with the two brave police officers and the member of the public who lost their lives. The police community will be raw today and we grieve with them.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt said news of the shooting was horrific.
“It’s just a reminder of the risk and the danger that so many first responders put themselves into. You don’t want to be reminded of it in that way,” he said.
