Queensland police officers gunned down by conspiracy theorists funeral

Slain constable Matthew Arnold wrote a chilling letter to his parents predicting his own death almost a decade before he was brutally gunned down by doomsday preppers in regional Queensland, it was revealed at his state funeral on Wednesday.

Arnold, 26, and fellow constable Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot dead by former school principal Nathaniel Train, his brother Gareth, and his wife Stacey, at the Train’s rural property in Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane, last week.

On Wednesday, thousands of police officers formed a guard of honour for the slain constables, before a state funeral service with full police honours was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

The heartbroken families of the slain constables were joined by police and officials, including Anthony Albanese, while members of the public lined the streets outside. 

Senior Sergeant Laura Harriss paid tribute to Arnold at the service and, in a chilling revelation, told attendees how he wrote a letter to his parents at the end of Year 12, where he warned he ‘may be gone someday, soon perhaps’.

The letter, written around eight years ago, read: ‘I may be gone someday, soon perhaps, but just know I will never leave you. I will cherish every moment we’ve had in my heart forever.’

The constables were posthumously awarded the Queensland Police Valour Medal, Queensland Police Service Medal, National Police Service Medal and National Medal at the service. 

Neighbour Alan Dare was also killed in the horrific shooting in Queensland, while fellow officers Keely Brough and Randall Kirk managed to make it out alive. They both attended Wednesday’s service. 

The Trains were later shot dead by police after engaging them in a shootout.

Senior Sergeant Harriss described Arnold as ‘brave, loyal and kind. She said he was ‘kind of man people look up to’.

‘The police truly were a second family for Matt,’ she said. ‘As a triplet Matt was the older brother by a few minutes. He was also a protector, a leader and a big brother for all.’

He was described as a man with a ‘broad cheeky smile’ who strived to do his best at school and in sport, particularly volleyball .

Manwhile, Senior Constable Melissa Gibson described ‘my mate Rach’ as a ‘cheeky larrikin who loved a laugh, loved a good prank and loved a good meme, often at our expense’.

She was a warm-hearted person whose smile ‘could light up any room on the darkest of days’, her good friend Senior Constable Gibson said.

‘For every bit of evil in this world, Rach, more than anyone, would be reminding us that there are still good people who need our help,’ she added.

Constable Freddy Hartigan said McCrow was ‘the sort of police officer the world demands… a copper with fairness, respect and love, a copper who deeply cares, a copper with a strong sense of justice’. 

As the service got underway, Pastor Jeffery Baills said: ‘Matthew and Rachel are side by side together today.

‘They worked together, they served their community together. Sadly they died together.

The slain police officers have each been posthumously awarded three medals, the national medal by Governor General David Hurley and the National Police Service Medal and the highest police honour, the Commissioner’s Valour Award.

A tearful Queensland Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll presented the awards to Rachel McCrow’s and Matthew Arnold’s families.

Just after 8am, the McCrow and Arnold families arrived in an escorted five-vehicle entourage.

In one of the police cars was Rachel McCrow’s blue heeler dog Archibald with his tongue out and head out the window. He was riding alone in the back with a driver and officer in the front. 

The dog sat at the feet of McCrow’s family inside the auditorium as the banner and flag parties entered in a sombre procession at 10am. 

Neighbours in the town of Tara had become used to seeing Ms McCrow’s blue heeler dog in the yard of the police house.

Late on the afternoon of her murder, child care worker Jodie Eckhart said she heard there had been an incident and ‘somehow knew’ it involved McCrow when the dog started howling as night fell and the young constable failed to return home after her shift.

‘I just knew something was up,’ Jodie told Daily Mail Australia.

Scores of police in uniforms and detectives in suits arrived early at the service on Wednesday to form a kilometre-long guard of honour.

Walking in lines, with some carrying wreaths, the attendees put on a somber display ahead of the service. 

Among the thousands of police at the memorial are members of the NYPD, the FBI and New Zealand police. 

At 11.45am a cavalcade of 60 motorcycle officers, a police pipe band and 17 dog squad officers with their animals moved down a road lined with hundreds of officers forming a guard of honour.

Just before midday the hearses carrying constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold carrying their blue police issue coffins slipped out the gates to drive between the lines of saluting officers.

Around 8,000 people are expected to have attended the funeral under heavy security which includes a strict no filming rule of any members of the slain constables’ families. 

Free tickets were made available for those wishing to attend on Monday and the service will also be broadcast on television. 

Following the ceremony, mounted police, members of the dog squad, a police pipe and drum band and officers in police cars and on motorcycles will form a guard of honour on the road outside. 

Private funeral ceremonies for each of the McCrow and Arnold families will be held following the public memorial.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll said the attack was an ‘unimaginable tragedy’.

‘Those officers did not stand a chance. The fact that two got out alive is a miracle,’ she said.

‘Both under 30 years of age. Both had wonderful careers and lives ahead of them.’

Constable Arnold’s triplet sister, Hayley, said she had felt ‘physical heartbreak pain’ since she was told he had been killed.

‘There are no words to express our loss,’ Ms Arnold wrote on social media.

‘I can’t begin to explain the love and bond we had. As triplets, we were born together and were meant to grow old together.’

Constable McCrow’s former partner, Luke, told local newspaper the Country Caller she would ‘do anything for you’.

‘I’m absolutely shattered and I don’t just speak for myself but I speak for everyone because Rachel was just a beautiful person,’ he said.

‘You can’t take that away from her and she just didn’t deserve this at all.

‘She was always there to listen, always there to have fun – just a really kind soul and just her as an overall person I think’s hard to come by.’

Queensland Police Union head Ian Leavers said it was going to be a very difficult day for the families of the constables, who were gunned down at a rural property at Wieambilla on December 12, and the force.

‘Matthew and Rachel will be side by side. They worked together, they died together, and they will be farewelled together,’ he told Nine’s Today show on Wednesday.

‘Police are travelling from all over southeast Queensland, as we speak, to attend, as well as from many other areas within the state.

‘It will be a very emotional service and many hearts are going to be broken.’

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said the force was grateful for the show of support from the public following the tragedy.

‘I don’t think there is a single police station that hasn’t had a truckload of flowers delivered to it,’ he said on Tuesday.

‘It’s been a tough week.’