Six people, including two police officers, have been shot dead after a suspected attack on a remote Australian property.
Police said they were searching for a missing person in Wyambella – 270 kilometers (168 miles) west of Brisbane, Queensland – when they were fired upon.
After a long siege, three suspects were shot dead by the police. A motive remains unclear, officials said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albany called it a “heartbreaking day” for Australia.
Four police officers – who are armed in Australia – initially went to the property on Monday afternoon local time, following a request from New South Wales police.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrore, 29, were shot dead as they approached the property. Another officer suffered “stealing gunfire” and a fourth escaped unhurt, police said.
A neighbor, Alan Deer, 58, was killed by the suspects after they went to investigate the property.
Authorities said the siege involved “multiple weapons” and lasted for hours, before the suspects – two men and a woman – were shot dead by specially trained officers.
One has been identified as 46-year-old Nathaniel Train, a former school principal, and the missing person was referred to police for evaluation.
The others were his brother Gareth Train, 47, and Gareth’s wife Stacey Train, 45, who co-owned the property.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll described the attack as an “unimaginable tragedy” and the force’s biggest loss of life in a single incident in many years.
“These officers did not stand a chance,” he said after visiting the crime scene on Tuesday.
The uninjured officer — a rookie who had just been sworn in weeks earlier — was able to find cover and call for help.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Levers said the suspects then set fire to him and tried to force him out.
“She didn’t know if she was going to be shot, or [if] she was going to be burned alive,” she told JEE News.
“I know she was sending messages to her loved ones, saying she was at a point where she felt it was her time. What was going through her mind, no one can understand. “
Later, the specialist police arrived and took over the operation.
Ms Carroll said Mr Arnold and Ms McCroe were relatively new to the police force but were well-liked.
“Both are under 30. Both had great careers and lives ahead of them,” a visibly emotional commissioner told reporters.
Ms. Carroll said she could not comment on a possible motive or say whether police were lured to the property, citing the ongoing investigation.
Several media outlets reported that Gareth Train often contributed to online forums that promoted conspiracy theories. JEE News reported that in the posts he expressed distrust of the police and falsely claimed the country’s deadliest mass shooting was a government ploy to disarm Australians.
In 1996, Australia introduced some of the strictest gun laws in the world after a lone gunman massacred 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania.
Since then, there have only been three mass shootings – defined in Australia as having resulted in at least four deaths, excluding the perpetrators.
Mr Albany said Monday’s shooting was “devastating for everyone who loved these Australians” and “our hearts go out to those who are in terrible grief”.
He noted that it would be a “really difficult day” for all police officers and their families. “This is not a price that should be paid by the wearer of the uniform,” he said.
Local MP David Littleproud said it had “desensitized” his community.
“[These are] small country towns where things like this don’t happen,” he told JEE News.
The death will be investigated by the coroner and the police response will be reviewed by the force’s ethical standards command, in line with standard practice.
