World · East Asia & Pacific · 12 hrs ago
Inquest hears delays in emergency calls before Floreat murders
A Perth inquest is examining the 2024 Floreat murders of Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18.
Mark Bombara, 63, went to their home in Floreat, Perth, looking for his estranged wife and then shot the two women before killing himself.
The inquest heard Gretl called triple-zero for help, but her call was not answered at the police assistance centre for one minute and 20 seconds.
A second call from Gretl was also left unanswered for more than a minute, and her sister separately called police.
Family members had warned police about Bombara and his access to 13 legally owned guns before the killings.
A police investigation later found eight officers had not performed their duty, but none was dismissed.
The five-day inquest is examining Bombara’s medical care, police actions, gun laws and the role of family violence.
Western Australia has since tightened its gun laws, and the inquest is expected to examine what more can be learned from the deaths.
An inquest in Perth is examining the killings of Jennifer Petelczyc and her daughter Gretl by Mark Bombara in Floreat in May 2024.
The inquest heard that calls to emergency services from Gretl and her family were delayed before police arrived.
Gretl, 18, and Jennifer, 59, were shot dead by Bombara, who then killed himself.
The inquest is also examining Bombara’s medical care, police actions, gun laws and family and domestic violence.
A police investigation found that eight officers did not perform their duty, and internal disciplinary action was taken.
- Who
- The inquest is examining the deaths of Jennifer Petelczyc and Gretl, and the actions of Mark Bombara, police and others.
- What
- A coronial inquest heard evidence about delayed emergency-call responses before the two women were shot dead.
- When
- The killings occurred on May 24, 2024. The five-day inquest began on November 9, 2026.
- Where
- Floreat, Perth, Western Australia.
- Why
- Bombara went to the home looking for his estranged wife. The inquest is examining the circumstances of the killings and the actions taken beforehand.
WA Police
Ariel Bombara and her mother
Police response
WA Police
A police investigation found eight officers did not perform their duty and that officers did not correctly assess the risk.
Ariel Bombara and her mother
Ariel Bombara said she and her mother had repeatedly warned police that her father was a threat, but officers did not act.
Police accountability
WA Police
Internal disciplinary action was taken against eight officers, and no officer was sacked.
Ariel Bombara and her mother
Ariel criticised the response, saying warnings about the danger had not been heeded.
Ariel Bombara and her mother fled the family home and warned police about Mark Bombara, according to ABC Australia.
Mark Bombara went to the Floreat home looking for his estranged wife and shot Jennifer and Gretl before killing himself.
The WA Parliament vowed to change the state’s gun laws.
Reforms to WA gun laws came into effect.
A pre-inquest hearing heard that the inquest would focus primarily on Bombara’s medical care.
The five-day inquest heard evidence about emergency calls made before the killings.
- Victims
- Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and Gretl, 18
- Killer
- Mark Bombara, 63
- Location
- Berkeley Crescent, Floreat
- Emergency call delay
- Gretl’s first call was not answered by the Police Assistance Centre for 1 minute and 20 seconds
- Legally owned guns
- 13
- Police investigation
- Eight officers were found not to have performed their duty
2 sources
What people are saying
By the time the Police Assistance Centre picked up, the call had been disconnected.
The finding is that officers did not correctly assess the risk, therefore the available powers under the Restraining Orders Act and Firearms Act were not exercised appropriately
We told you he was going to murder us. So did you not believe us? Or did you just not give a sh*t?
This was the perfect storm of apathy and compassion fatigue from officers combined with shoddy systems, outdated policies and insufficient training and support that resulted in a lethal outcome.