The father of the four children who were tragically killed in a suspected murder-suicide over the weekend has spoken out.
Aaron Cockman’s four children – daughter Taye, 13, and sons Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn Cockman, eight were found dead along with their mother Katrina and her parents Peter and Cynda Miles at the family’s Osmington property outside of Margaret River in Western Australia on Friday.
Peter, 61, is believed to have shot his family members before turning the gun on himself.
“Peter didn’t snap. He’s thought this through. I think he’s been thinking this through for a long time,” Mr Cockman told reporters according to Yahoo7.
“All these kids died peacefully in their beds. The (police officer) that went through, he said they looked all peaceful. How the hell Peter did that I still can’t figure out, but if someone did it … he did a good job, he did a really good job.”
Mr Cockman was estranged from his ex-wife Katrina and their four children but had previously been close with his father-in-law.
Adding that Peter was “an awesome man, before this all blew up. He was like my best friend. I still love who he was but his mental attitude… There are some people you just don’t want to get on the wrong side of. That’s Peter and Cynda.’’
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have Katrina, I wouldn’t have her kids,” the grieving father said.
“So it’s not some random guy off the street who’s taken them away from me – he gave them to me and now he’s taken them away. If it had to happen, there is no better person than that.”
It has been reported that all four children had autism.
WA police have confirmed the identities of the deceased and that three guns were found at the scene of what is being described as Australia’s worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
“I will confirm that all seven deceased suffered gunshot wounds,” said WA Police commissioner Chris Dawson.
“This is a complex criminal investigation. We’re treating this as a matter in which clearly six persons are the subject of a homicide.
“A seventh person is deceased. It is far too premature to come to any conclusive statement about that.”
Commissioner Dawson refused to confirm if it was Mr Miles who called police.
“The loss of any life is tragic, but four children and three adults, this is a significant tragedy,” he said. “This devastating incident will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community, and in particular the communities in the southwest. These tragedies take their toll on everybody.”
“My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims, and also with the first responders and investigators as they piece together this tragic set of circumstances.”
Support is being provided to those affected by the tragedy.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline for 24/7 support on 13 11 14 or visit the website at lifeline.org.au. If it’s an emergency, call 000.
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