Photo: JASON O’BRIEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Six people have been shot dead during a suspected ambush in the town of Wieambilla, 168 miles west of Brisbane, Australia.
Queensland Police confirmed in a statement Tuesday that thedeaths include two officerswho were called to a home in the remote Australian region at 4:30 p.m. Monday to investigate a missing person.
A third officer suffered a “bullet graze” and is currently being treated in the hospital, police continued, while a fourth escaped without physical injury.
Tragically, a neighbor, Alan Dare, 58, also died in the ambush after going to investigate the situation, Queensland Police confirmed Tuesday.
Queensland Police Service/Facebook
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll also extended her “heartfelt condolences to the officers' families, friends and colleagues,” involved in the shootout.
JASON O’BRIEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“I would like to pay tribute to all police and first responders who assisted at the scene,” she added in a release.
“Tragically, this is the largest loss of life the QPS has suffered in one single incident in recent times,” continued Carroll. “It is devastating news and I know it will be deeply felt across Queensland.
“It is a sad reminder of the unpredictable nature of policing and the incredible dangers our officers face while protecting our community.”
“I do know she was sending messages to loved ones, saying she was at a point where she thought it was her time. What was going through her mind, one cannot comprehend,” Leavers added.
“In my view, theofficers didn’t stand a chance, and I don’t know how two got out alive,” Carroll said after visiting the scene, reported NBC News.
“It is an unimaginable tragedy,” Carroll added. “This has been incredibly distressing and tragic for everyone, particularly family, officers involved, colleagues, the organization and the community.”
“To lose two officers in one incident is absolutely devastating,” she said, per NBC News.
source: people.com
