Brisbane: Six people, including two police officers, have been shot dead in rural Australia. According to officials, they had reached there to investigate the report of a missing person.
Police said the incident took place at 4.45 p.m. when four officers arrived in a rural area in the state of Queensland. Two men armed with weapons opened fire on officers in Viembila, killing two police officers, officials said. The police also retaliated. A neighbour was also killed in the firing.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll said another police officer was shot in the attack and a fourth police officer escaped. “It was a miracle that two officers survived the attack and one informed the higher authorities, following which special police officers and air help were called in and the area was cordoned off,” he said.
According to police, three persons, including a woman, were killed in another encounter around 10.30 pm. Carroll said the three men killed were believed to be accused. The police officers killed in the attack have been identified as Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McRaun, 29. Arnold was sworn in as a police officer in 2020 and Macron in 2021.