In a rural Australian area near Brisbane, three Christian extremists were involved in a tragic incident two years ago, resulting in the fatal shooting of two police officers and a bystander and wounding another officer. The incident concluded with the extremists being fatally shot by police after a six-hour standoff. The State Coroner, Terry Ryan, concluded a 17-day inquiry into the violence that occurred, aiming to understand the root cause of the tragedy.

According to evidence presented during the inquiry by lawyer Ruth O’Gorman, the extremists had a belief in the imminent “End Times” and followed a Christian fundamentalist belief system known as pre-millennialism. This belief system focused on an apocalypse before the return of Jesus Christ. O’Gorman suggested that the extremists were likely suffering from a shared delusional disorder, which fueled their actions and extreme beliefs.

The court heard that the extremists believed they were being persecuted by authorities, particularly the police, as part of their shared delusion. O’Gorman emphasized that their religious extremism and actions were heavily influenced by this underlying shared delusional disorder. Forensic psychiatrist Andrew Aboud expressed that had the extremists survived, they might have been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial on any criminal charges.

During the incident, the extremists opened fire on police officers who had arrived to arrest one of them on firearm-related charges. Tragically, two police officers and a bystander lost their lives in the exchange of gunfire. The families of the victims provided emotional statements to the coroner, highlighting the devastating impact of the tragedy and sharing heartbreaking details about their loved ones who lost their lives in the incident.