KEY POINTS
- Gareth and Stacey Train reportedly posted the video after attack.
- The video shows the pair apparently claiming to have killed 'devils'.
- The shooting saw two police and the Trains' neighbour killed.
Two police killers at the centre of this week's Queensland massacre appear to have uploaded a video shortly after the attack in a chilling description of the event.
The video, titled "Don't Be Afraid", appears to show husband and wife Gareth and Stacey Train speaking, huddled in the dark on the night of the shooting.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, along with 58-year-old resident Alan Dare were gunned down at Wieambilla, in the western Darling Downs region.
"They came to kill us, and we killed them," the man, purportedly Gareth Train, says as he looks down at the camera.
"If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward."
The woman, purportedly Stacey, then addresses a person named "Don", saying: "We'll see you at home".
The video was uploaded to a now-deleted YouTube channel, which also included anti-police posts, and one video referencing a missing persons report filed on Nathaniel Train, the third shooter.
Nathaniel does not appear in the video.
The video was first reported by news outlet Crikey and has been independently viewed by SBS News.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Police Service would not comment on the video's emergence.
"Ethical Standards Command are leading a major investigation into the incident that occurred at Wieambilla on 12 December 2022," the QPS spokesperson said in a statement.
"This is a complex and thorough Coronial Investigation overviewed by the Crime and Corruption Commission and will be reported to the State Coroner.
"Family Liaison Officers have been appointed and are working closely with families involved in this tragedy.
"While the matter is currently being investigated, and respecting the sensitivities of the families involve, it would be inappropriate for the QPS to provide further comment at this time."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday said he had not seen the video and was not aware of its content.
"This is a shocking and devastating crime and I would encourage media outlets and others to not publish in any way such material," he said.
"I have nothing but contempt for those people involved in this atrocious crime."
Who were the shooters?
Stacey married Nathaniel in 1995, when the pair were in their late teens. The couple had two children before Stacey left Nathaniel to strike up a relationship with his older brother, Gareth.
Nathaniel then married another unnamed woman.
All three shooters were living together at the time of the massacre.
Will there be investigations, and what are they looking into?
Premeditation will be a key factor. Police are looking into whether the killers lured their victims to the property, potentially by calling in information on Nathaniel’s missing persons case.
Many reports have claimed that the Trains had installed a surveillance system to alert them to anyone entering. There were reportedly camera set-ups along the long road into the property, also littered with barricades to slow entry, and sniper foxholes at the end of the road.
Police are also investigating how the killers got their guns, and whether they did so legally. The Australian has reported Gareth did not have a gun licence, though Nathaniel is reported to have held one in NSW.
There will also be a coronial inquiry, which has broad scope to investigate the lead-up to the massacre.
Were they conspiracy theorists?
Reports have suggested the trio were conspiracy theorists. A man using Gareth Train’s name was a prolific user of known conspiracy sites, with posts laced with anti-authority and anti-police rhetoric.
He reportedly claimed the 1996 Port Arthur massacre was a "false flag" operation used to implement widespread gun control, the government was running "re-education camps", and fears Australians would soon "feast on their infants".
He railed against a "Jesuit order cabal", and claimed Australia was at the forefront of a "Luciferian agenda".
Stacey Train is reported to have quit her teaching job rather than comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
