Wheatbelt nazi shooter Lachlan Bowles ‘felt guilty & apologised’ to his mum in final moments

The gunman who terrorised a small country town for eight hours after murdering a colleague delivered a tearful apology to his mum before shooting himself with his rifle. Lachlan Bowles, 25, caused the lockdown of the Wheatbelt town of Kellerberrin last Thursday after shooting his Moylan Grain Silos colleague Terry Czernowski just before 9am. He was at large for more than eight hours as police swarmed the town and ordered all residents to stay inside as they tried to apprehend him. The tense siege operation saw Bowles facing off with police after 4pm in a remote grain field before their attempts at negotiation ended with him killing himself. What prompted Bowles to gun down the 44-year-old father at the grain silos business is still unclear but police confirmed it was related to a matter “between the two parties” — who had been colleagues for years. The West Australian understands that in his last moments, Bowles regretted killing his colleague, despite going down waving a swastika flag. During his hours of negotiations with police, it’s understood Bowles had his mother on the phone, telling her he was sorry, hoped to be forgiven and was racked with guilt. The siege later came to an end when the 25-year-old former volunteer ambulance officer, who was knocked back from roles in the police and the army, then took his own life. It is also understood Bowles’ death is likely to be treated as a death in police presence, which means it will be subject to a coronial inquiry. Police confirmed the incident would be investigated by both its internal affairs unit and homicide squad “as per normal procedures”. Before Bowles shot himself, it’s understood heavily armed police were trying to convince him to lay down his arms when he requested to speak to his mother by phone. Wearing camouflage gear and holding a Nazi flag, Bowles reportedly apologised for his actions during the call. But later, he brought the siege to an end when he picked up his rifle and shot himself. The shocking incident and its aftermath left the town of about 900 people reeling in the aftermath of what happened. Rumours continue to swirl in the usually quiet country town, with some claiming Bowles was a victim of workplace bullying. Other reports suggest he had recently been sacked. The West Australian has made repeated attempts to contact Moylan Grain Silos. Woodstock Electrical Services owner Peter Mitchell, who knew both men well, said last week Bowles had clearly “derailed himself”. “Has he had issues for a while? Well, he very well could have. Did anyone know about it among his work colleagues? No, they did not,” he said. Mr Mitchell said it was “horrific what happened”. “If you had told me two days ago that this was going to happen, I’d say, ‘You’re dreaming, mate’,” he said. “Because knowing the families . . . knowing them both. They are both good guys,” he said. “But something’s detached out there . . . it’s obviously been playing on his mind, and he’s done what he’s done, and the worst thing is . . . everyone loved Terry.” Mr Mitchell said Bowles was a “quiet kid” and he wasn’t aware of him getting “so much as a speeding fine”. “He was that sort of kid. You’d never hear him say a bad word about anyone,” he said. “He was always smiling. But obviously underneath, something has gone wrong, and he’s just shaded it.” Kellerberrin Pie Shop and Bakery proprietor Tony Downs said it was “terribly sad that they’re both dead”. “The part that’s upset me most is we saw them in our shop only a couple of days apart, and both of them appeared to be in a good place,” he said. “He (Bowles) would have been in the shop 60 times in the last two or three months — actually, for a couple of years, we’ve had him coming into the shop — and his persona never changed. He was always calmly spoken.” Lifeline 13 11 14