‘Impossible to know’: Questions remain unanswered after coroner’s probe into Kellerberrin shooting

Western Australia’s coroner could not determine the reason why a mentally ill ambulance volunteer shot a co-worker dead before turning the gun on himself hours later in front of police tactical negotiators.

Coroner Michael Jenkin handed down his findings of his inquest into the 2023 Wheatbelt shooting on Wednesday, which examined the deaths of Lachlan Bowles and Terry Czernowski.

Bowles was the subject of an active shooter manhunt on September 7, 2023, after he fatally shot 44-year-old Czernowski at Moylan Grain Silos in the town of Kellerberrin and then fled the scene with a number of guns, firing at a passing driver before hiding in a nearby wheat paddock.

Four-and-a-half hours of negotiation with specialist police ensued, but Bowles could not be talked down, and died by suicide in front of tactical officers.

Jenkin found Bowles’ mental health had been in significant decline at the time of the shooting, which including living with undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder and facing repeated rejections in his attempts to join the WA Police Force and the Australian Defence Force.

The coroner also found there was ultimately no evidence that suggested animosity between Bowles and Czernowski, but messages Bowles sent loved ones while actively trying to hide from police as they searched for him indicated he was extremely mentally ill.

Bowles told family friends he didn’t “feel love for anybody”, acknowledged he would likely die when confronted by police, said he refused to go to jail, and claimed he was going to barricade himself and “shoot it out”.

When police arrived to begin negotiations, Bowles gave over three of his four guns before ultimately killing himself.

Jenkin said it was unlikely anyone would ever understand Bowles’ motivations.

“In the aftermath of the tragedy that unfolded on 7 September 2023, there is an understandable urge to seek answers to the question of ‘why?’” he said.

“Why did Lachlan shoot Terry, and later himself? What led Lachlan to do such terrible things that have caused such pain and devastation?

“On the basis of the available evidence, although it is possible to make informed guesses about what may have motivated Lachlan to act as he did, ultimately, it is impossible to know with any certainty.”

Jenkin said despite collecting Nazi memorabilia, owning a copy of Mein Kampf, and wearing a Nazi armband at the time of the shooting, Bowles only “weakly” held a nationalist, racist, violent extremist ideology, and the coroner determined it was not the driving force behind the incident.

Jenkin found the tactical response group, the homicide squad, police internal investigations and the firearms licensing unit all agreed police had acted within the parameters of their training and followed the appropriate processes, but Bowles had been intent on taking his own life.

The only recommendation the coroner could make regarding the incident was suggesting WA Police’s tactical negotiations engage with mental health specialists in the future, and flagged having them on the line during tense negotiations could help officers dealing with a similar situation.

Jenkin said he was extremely sorry for both family’s losses, and published a section of Bowles’ mother’s statement.

“The death of our son [and] brother has shattered our family in ways that words can hardly express,” she said.

“His absence has left a deep and constant ache in our hearts. Our home does not feel the same.

“Each of us is struggling to cope in different ways and some days it feels impossible to move forward, while other days are spent trying to hold on to the memories we have left.

“Family gatherings are no longer the same, there is always an empty chair and a sense that something precious has been taken from us forever.

“We live with an overwhelming sense of grief and longing, knowing that life will never return to what it once was.”

Support is available from Lifeline 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.

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