WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
A rural town has been left reeling after a decorated community member armed himself with a rifle and handgun and fatally shot a co-worker before turning the gun on himself.
The final hours of gunman Lachlan Bowles have been revealed as police continue to investigate the chain of events that led to the deaths of two residents of Kellerberrin, about 200km east of Perth, Western Australia .
On September 7, the 25-year-old sparked an eight-hour manhunt and siege after donning a Nazi armband and confronting his colleague at their workplace.
Before that deadly day, Bowles was well known in the community as a volunteer paramedic and had been commended by the Shire of Kellerberrin for his community service in 2020.
He worked at local silo manufacturing company Moylan Grain Silos, alongside his future victim Terry Czernowski.
The moments that led Lachlan Bowles (pictured) to fatally shoot his colleagues in a rural town have been revealed.
Terry Czernowski, father of one, was shot dead by his colleague on Thursday
It is unclear what might have prompted Bowles to fatally shoot Mr. Czernowski, who was in his 40s and had a daughter.
Kellerberrin local Peter Mitchell told 6PR Mornings on Friday that he knew the two men involved in the shocking shooting. He described Bowles as “laid back” and “smiling all the time.”
“He was quiet, kept to himself, did what he did, but at the end of the day he was a good kid,” he said.
“If you told me this was going to happen, I’d say ‘no, bad guy, you’re dreaming.’
Mr Mitchell also described Mr Czernowski as a good person and said he was shocked both men had left.
“There are only two people who are going to know the truth about what happened, and they are now gone,” he said.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 7
It was an ordinary day for Mr Czernowski, who headed to work at the Moylan grain silos on Mather Rd in Kellerberrin.
Bowles headed in the same direction, driving his gray 2007 Holden Commodore and dressed head to toe in camouflage clothing.
Witnesses during the day also reported that he was wearing an armband decorated with a Nazi swastika.
The 25-year-old man was armed with a high-powered rifle and a handgun.
It is unclear what might have prompted Bowles to fatally shoot Mr. Czernowski, who was in his 40s and had a daughter.
Bowles arrived at the Moylan grain elevators in Kellerberrin before 9am and confronted Mr Czernowski
8:40 am
Bowles arrived at the Moylan grain elevators before 9 a.m. and confronted Mr Czernowski.
It’s unclear what happened next, but he shot the older man with a rifle or handgun, before fleeing the scene in his car.
8:40 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Mr Czernowski was rushed to hospital but died from his gunshot wound.
WA Police first reported “an incident in the Kellerberrin area” just before 9.30am and asked members of the public to stay indoors until further notice.
Twenty minutes later, police confirmed that one person had been shot and that an armed man was on the run.
At 10:14 a.m., police issued an alert for Bowles’ whereabouts, but they did not explicitly link him to the shooting. They urged the public to call triple zero if they spotted the young man.
Meanwhile, Bowles was heading northeast out of town, towards Mission Rd. At some point during the morning, he abandoned his car and continued on foot north along Mission Road.
Bowles caused the deaths of two residents of Kellerberrin, about 200 km east of Perth in Western Australia.
While on foot, he was approached by local farmer Rob Linto, who was heading towards York in his Toyota LandCruiser.
“I didn’t think much about it, but then I saw him stop… he had a gun pointed at me as I walked towards him,” Mr Linto told The West Australian newspaper.
“So when I saw the gun, I thought I had to (speed up). So I just put my foot down, but obviously, as I was passing him, he turned around and lined me up, and shot.
“So I didn’t stop. I just kept going. I stopped once and thought I heard a car coming, so I got back up and got off.
Mr Linto told the newspaper he eventually stopped and called triple zero. He later realized his car had been hit.
“The bullet went through the top of the (spare) tire, came out the other side of the tire, went through the back above the window, hit the inside of the headliner, entered the roof lining in the front and tried to get out through the front,” he said.
“That’s when I thought: This is reality here. I just had to sit down.
Mr Linto was shaken but was otherwise unhurt.
WA Regional Police Commander Rod Wilde said police initially attempted to negotiate with Bowles during the shooting, but those talks failed.
Around 10:43 a.m., police issued an active shooter alert, once again calling on residents to stay indoors and not travel for any reason.
They had planned a press conference for 12:45 p.m., but it was postponed after Bowles ended up in a farm paddock about 20 km north of Kellerberrin.
2:00 p.m.
Police revealed negotiations were ongoing between Bowles and members of the police tactical response group.
It was reported that, during the confrontation, Bowles was waving a Nazi flag.
4:30 p.m.
Negotiations with Bowles failed and Bowles shot himself in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
WA Regional Police Commander Rod Wilde was due to address the media at 4.30pm but this was delayed by 15 minutes so he could confirm the standoff had ended with Bowles suffering an injury by self-inflicted gunshot.
The shooter’s death was not officially confirmed until shortly after 6 p.m.
“It’s obviously a tragic outcome for everyone involved,” Mr Wilde said.
Bowles shot himself in the head after negotiations failed and was pronounced dead at the scene
ONGOING INVESTIGATION
On Friday, police launched a full investigation into the shooting.
Detectives and medical examiners are expected to remain in Kellerberrin for days, if not weeks, as they attempt to piece together the incident and the events leading up to Thursday.
Meanwhile, Washington Police Minister Paul Papalia spoke to the media on Friday, using the opportunity to promote his administration’s gun law reforms.
“We are on schedule, work is underway, a draft will soon be completed and will be made public before being presented to Parliament,” he said.
The updated laws are expected to strengthen storage requirements and establish mandatory, recurring mental health checks for gun owners.
However, he could not provide new information about the investigation into the shooting.