The Shootings
This is a sensationalist story in Aus right now (mid-Dec 2022).
The Guardian: Six people killed at Queensland property, including two police officers ambushed by shooters (G’s bold)
Tactical police shoot dead three suspects at Wieambilla property after the ‘ruthless, targeted execution’ of two officers from Tara and a member of the public
Three points before we go on:
The police victims - two dead, two survivors (who’ll carry scars of ptsd for the rest of their lives), all in their 20’s, were lambs to the slaughter (which involves potential higher-up culpability depending on the fore-knowledge of whoever sent them). The member of public shot dead was a concerned neighbour in his 50’s who’d come to check out what was going on with a friend (who escaped). Their deaths are a horrible tragedy. Their families deserve to know what actually happened, & why - not some secret media-gov source version that amounts to platformed spin messaging.
The trio of accused* killers were school teachers who’d recently resigned - two were principals. Gareth & Nathaniel Train were brothers. Stacey Train was originally married to Nathaniel, but after they separated, she married Gareth. They had moved to the outback, according to Gareth Train, to withdraw from society: When it becomes clear that we are in a time like no other and you head out into the wilderness to escape persecution, know that my wife and I will offer refuge to all brothers and sisters.
THE Media/Gov coverage was marked by curious finger-pointing based on secret sources, which suggests an added agenda.
(*despite media assertions, it remains unclear how many of the trio were shooting at police - we will explore that later)
The Guardian: Four officers from Tara had been sent to the property, at Wieambilla in the Western Downs region, about 270km west of Brisbane, to inquire about a missing person (Nathaniel)
Two of those officers, aged in their 20s, were shot and killed soon after they arrived, about 4.45pm.
News: Constable Randall Kirk was also shot in the leg but was able to flee.
Constable Keely Brough darted into the bush to take cover, only for the Trains to light fires and pump rounds into the tree in an attempt to smoke her out. She eventually escaped.
ABC: Some six hours after the four officers had originally arrived on scene, the siege came to an end. Two men, Nathaniel and Gareth Train, and a woman, Stacey Train, were shot dead.
Details about what happened are still limited.
Two months later, the details are … still limited, likely to remain limited forever, now that the press have had their fun & the story has been cycled-out. As such, it takes effort to disentangle even a semblance of truth from THE Media’s angle. All we know for sure is: THE Media’s version is: some-kind-of-crap
Let's try to identify which kind exactly ...