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AAP
AAP
National
Rex Martinich

Wife 'heard husband shot dead' on phone to triple zero

Kerry Dare said she would have called her husband if told people had been shot nearby. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

A woman heard the gunshot that killed her husband while she was calling triple zero to report fires and explosions at their neighbours' rural Queensland property, a coroner has heard.

Alan Dare, 58, was shot minutes after arriving at the 100-acre block of Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train at Wieambilla on December 12, 2022.

His wife Kerry Dare on Wednesday gave evidence in Brisbane Coroners Court at an inquest into the shooting deaths of six people.

Coroner Terry Ryan heard Mrs Dare's two calls to a female triple-zero operator during which her husband can be heard in the background leaving for the Trains' property.

Mrs Dare's barrister Mitch Rawlings asked her what she would have done if the operator told her people had been shot at the property.

"I would have called my husband. I would have hung up on her and called him," she said.

Mr Dare went to the property soon after 5.17pm as he feared there was a grassfire but did not realise it was a police vehicle set alight by the Trains.

About 45 minutes earlier, Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were shot dead in cold blood as they walked with another two officers up the Trains' driveway.

Alan Dare (file image)
Alan Dare was shot dead minutes after arriving at the Trains' property. (HANDOUT/CORONERS COURT OF QUEENSLAND)

The operator told Mrs Dare she "absolutely advised against" attending the fire but did not give a reason and there was no evidence Mr Dare heard this.

Mrs Dare said if the operator told them people had been shot before her husband left, they would have stayed home.

"I'm adamant there was a gunshot. (The operator) said 'I heard that' ... I've since worked out that it was Alan being shot," Mrs Dare said.

Mr Dare captured a video on his mobile phone of his last minutes alive as he approached the fire and was shot through the chest by one of the Trains.

Mr Dare's neighbour Victor Lewis could be seen in the video arriving at the Trains' front gate on a quad bike.

Witness Victor Lewis (left) leaving the Brisbane Coroners Court
Victor Lewis described trying to place Mr Dare in a recovery position and seeing his face turn grey. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Mr Lewis told the court he was probably spared being shot because he kneeled down to check on Mr Dare after he seemingly collapsed.

"There were bushes … I was no longer in line of sight," Mr Lewis said.

He paused for a moment with emotion as he described trying to place Mr Dare in a recovery position and seeing his face turn grey.

"I realised he had been shot. I had heard that shot but thought it was an explosion from the car. It was time to get away from there," Mr Lewis said.

He said he went to his neighbour's property and told Mrs Dare her husband "was in a bad way".

Mr Lewis said police should change their procedures to better inform the community when there was an emergency situation.

Randall Kirk (file image)
Videos from Constable Randall Kirk's body worn camera show him taking cover. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

"Why were we not told to stay home?" he said.

"The police officers were there a long time before me and Alan went over … this is not a derogatory statement against police, this is to make things better in the future."

The coroner released Mr Dare's footage and two videos from Constable Randall Kirk's body worn camera showing him taking cover after two concealed shooters open fire.

Const Kirk fires a shot at them from his police-issue Glock handgun then sprints for his police vehicle, jumping over a locked gate with weapon in hand.

The fourth officer in the group, Constable Keely Brough, reached nearby grass where she hid from the shooters for two hours until backup arrived.

Mr Ryan was shown evidence Nathaniel Train sat concealed and watched the officers approach through the scope of his rifle before fatally shooting Const Arnold.

Evidence showed Gareth Train walked up to a prone and wounded Const McCrow and fatally shot her in the head.

The officers had gone there to arrest Nathaniel Train after he illegally crossed the NSW border with a cache of firearms during the COVID-19 lockdown.

All three Trains were shot dead by specialist police six hours after the two constables were killed.

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