Hospital staff attempted to raise concerns about a gunman’s escalating aggressive behaviour prior to him shooting and killing a mother and her teen daughter in their Perth home last week, as it is revealed he had a brain cyst the size of a cricket ball.
Mark James Bombara, 63, murdered Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl, in their WA home last week before turning the gun on himself.
WA Police believe he attended the property looking for his former partner and when he didn’t find her at the home, shot the mother and daughter who were friends of his ex-wife.
A North Metropolitan Health Service worker told WAtoday that healthcare staff had gone as far as to try and have Mark Bombara’s driver’s licence revoked due to significant concerns about his aggressive behaviour.
The 63-year-old had recently been diagnosed with a 10cm cyst that was pushing on his brain.
The North Metropolitan Health staff member questioned why health professionals were not able to recommend a gun license be revoked when concerns are raised, as they are with driver’s licenses.
“If that team knew they were sending someone home to 13 guns, with a cyst that large and displaying that behaviour … there would have been a discussion with police,” the staff member said.
“We need to know if people have firearms.”
The staff member told WAtoday that several health workers who interacted with Bombara in the months leading up to the brutal double murder had also raised concerns about his escalating aggressive and erratic behaviour.
Bombara was exhibiting symptoms consistent with his history of small strokes, but North Metropolitan Health Service acting chief executive Joel Gurr has rebuffed the anonymous staff members’ claims – declaring staff reviewed Bombara’s mental health and did not identify any behaviours that would trigger a call to police.
“Our thoughts are with family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragedy and the broader impact it’s having on the community. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to all impacted and acknowledge this must be an extremely difficult time,” Mr Gurr said.
“Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital treated Mr Bombara in early May for a series of small strokes.
“While he was in our care, the treating team reviewed his mental health and determined there were no signs of reduced mental capacity, aggression or suicide risk.
“Mental health clinicians routinely make referrals to Police if they have concerns a patient is assessed as being aggressive or at risk to others, but in this case, the patient did not present with any behaviours that would trigger this process.”
Mr Bombara’s daughter Ariel Bombara said she and her mother fled their home in March “in fear of our lives” before warning police of her father’s guns.
“My mother and I fled our family home on March 28 in fear of our lives and to remove ourselves from an abusive situation,” she told ABC.
“Between March 30th and April 2nd, I spoke with police on three separate occasions to raise the alarm about my father. On each occasion, I alerted officers to my father’s guns and told them about my mother and I felt there was a real and imminent threat to our lives.”
Ms Bombara asked police if she and her mother could “take out a 72-hour temporary protective order” against her father, to which she said officers responded “no”.
Police told her there was “nothing” they could do about the situation at that time.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said the details shared by Ms Bombara about the “sickening crime” were distressing.
However, he declined to comment on the allegations she and her mother repeatedly tried to warn police about her father.