His daughter warned police three times. From today, a coroner asks why Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc still died in Floreat

This story discusses family violence, murder and suicide. Support services are listed at the end.

Two and a half years after Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl were shot dead in their home in Perth’s western suburbs, a coroner is due to begin hearing evidence today about how it was allowed to happen.

The inquest is expected to sit for five days. At a pre-inquest hearing in June, the coroner said the primary focus would be the medical care Mark Bombara, 63, received in the lead-up to the killings in May 2024. It will also examine what police did, how WA’s firearms laws applied to him, and the role family and domestic violence played.

Bombara went to the Floreat house looking for his former wife, whom the Petelczycs had taken in after she and their daughter fled him. He killed the two women and then took his own life as police arrived. Gretl, a University of WA science student and water polo player, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital but died shortly afterwards. Her mother was a team manager and official at the same club.

What did police know?

A great deal, and early. Bombara’s former wife and daughter left the family home in late March 2024, about two months before the killings, after violent incidents, and went to police. His daughter, Ariel, contacted police three times. She warned that her father was a real and imminent threat and that his Glock handgun was missing.

No guns were seized. WA Police’s own internal investigation later found red flags had been missed, that his guns should have been taken, and that officers had not properly investigated alleged firearms offences or whether he was fit to hold a licence. Commissioner Col Blanch said officers “did not correctly assess the risk”. Eight officers were disciplined; none was sacked. The review made 18 recommendations, 11 of which have been completed.

“There are authorities who should have helped us to stop him, and they failed,” Ariel Bombara has said. She has asked for the inquest to examine police actions as well as her father’s medical care.

Why the focus on his medical care?

Bombara had suffered a minor stroke and had continuing mental health problems. The coroner requested an expert neurological report for the inquest. The inquest is the first public forum to test how his health was assessed and managed while he held 13 firearms.

What has changed since?

WA rewrote its gun laws. The reforms, in force since March 2025, abolished the recreational licence Bombara used for 11 of his guns and sharply tightened the collector’s licence under which he held the two pistols. Owners are now limited to 10 guns and must pass a mental health check every five years. Police can remove firearms immediately when family or domestic violence is reported, and no longer have discretion over whether the risk threshold is met. The number of licensed guns in the state has fallen by about a quarter.

The changes were opposed by the Nationals and the WA Firearms Community Alliance, and a 2024 petition against them gathered more than 31,000 signatures.

Why does it matter now?

Because the warning signs in this case were not hidden. A family told police, repeatedly, that a man with guns was going to kill. Family violence advocates say the inquest is a chance to make recommendations that stop similar deaths, and the question for every agency involved is whether the system that failed then would catch the same warning today.

If this story has raised concerns for you, help is available. 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732. Lifeline: 13 11 14. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636. 13YARN (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people): 13 92 76. In an emergency, call 000.