Tara emergency: shots fired in town near Wieambilla where two officers were killed in late 2022 | Australian police and policing

An emergency has been declared in the small Queensland town of Tara after a gunman reportedly fired at police officers.

Some residents were evacuated with others urged to stay indoors after shots were fired.

Tara, in the Western Downs region, is about 40km south of Wieambilla which was the scene of a deadly ambush that ended with the deaths of six people, including two police officers, in December 2022.

Police on Wednesday were called to reports of a shooting in Tara about 3.30pm local time.

“As a result, an emergency declaration was made at approximately 5.30pm,” Queensland police said in statement. “No one has been physically injured.”

An exclusion zone covering several blocks of the town centre was established.

Local media reported police officers were fired upon multiple times in the centre of Tara on Wednesday.

Queensland police constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were shot dead after pulling up to a rural property in Wieambilla for a welfare check on 12 December.

Neighbour Alan Dare was also gunned down in a confrontation sparked when conspiracy theorists Gareth Train, his partner, Stacey Train, and his brother, Nathaniel Train, opened fire on their approach. The trio were later shot dead by police.