Matthew Joseph ARNOLD

On the afternoon of Monday 12 December 2022, Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold from Tara Police Station and Constables Randall Kirk and Keely Brough from Chinchilla Police Station, responded to a request for police assistance relating to a missing person investigation. The officers were tasked to attend an isolated rural address at Wains Road, Wieambilla. This area consists of remote large acreage properties of heavy scrub and bushland with limited public services and limited visibility of residences from the road. Upon arrival at the address, the Constables parked their police vehicles outside the boundary fence and jumped a locked gate across the unsealed driveway.

The Constables walked together in the direction of the residence, which was situated several hundred metres along the driveway and not visible from the front gate. As the Constables walked towards the residence, they came under fire by offenders armed with high-powered rifles who had concealed themselves at the side of the driveway, Constable Arnold was fatally shot.  Constable McCrow was also shot at this time and commenced treating her own wounds whilst using her body worn camera to record her observations at the scene. She defended herself by firing her service Glock in the direction of the offenders and was then fatally shot. Constables Kirk and Brough were able to escape the initial gunfire and call for back-up. Constable Kirk shot at the offenders and withdrew from the property under heavy gunfire. Constable Brough was able to take cover in bushland until her extraction from the property.