Omid Molayee is shot dead after setting himself on fire in a McDonald’s carpark
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Horrifying moment a man is shot dead after setting himself and his partner on fire in the parking lot of a Macca
- Omid Molayee was shot and killed after setting himself on fire in a McDonald’s parking lot
- He was trying to reconcile with his estranged partner, a court has heard
- The Iranian set himself on fire and doused the woman with fuel, witnesses said.
A man shot to death after setting himself on fire in a McDonald’s parking lot doused himself and his partner with fuel and threatened to blow them up before the fatal shooting, an investigation has reported.
The terrifying last moments of Omid Molayee’s life as he tried to reconcile his estranged relationship with his partner were revealed at Brisbane Coroner’s Court, as an inquest into the Iranian migrant’s death began on Monday.
Nineteen witnesses, all of them police officers, are due to testify at the four-day inquest in Brisbane.
Eyewitness footage reveals the moment police are forced to shoot a man, who set himself on fire, to death in a McDonald’s car park in Brisbane’s Sunnybank Hills.
Molayee, an Iranian refugee, was shot dead on April 6, 2020 at a McDonald’s in Sunnybank, south Brisbane, after setting himself on fire and running towards police.
Detective Sergeant Theresea Downey, one of the investigating officers, told the court that Molayee had exhibited “jealous” behavior towards then-partner Sara Pooyan during their relationship.
The couple initially met online in 2018 and a year later, Molayee moved from South Australia and began living with Ms Pooyan and their three children.
Sergeant Downey said that Molayee had been going through Ms Pooyan’s phone before her death and claiming that she had been unfaithful.
She said that previous partners had told her that Mr. Molayee had shown similar signs of jealousy and “threats of harm”.
Ms Pooyan had indicated that she wanted the relationship to end.
Molayee, an Iranian refugee, was shot dead on April 6, 2020 at a McDonald’s in Sunnybank, south Brisbane, after setting himself on fire and running towards police.
The night of her death, Molayee asked her if she would reconsider, and she refused.
In response, Sergeant Downey said that Molayee spilled petrol on the carpet, the bed, himself and Ms Pooyan and “threatened to set them on fire”.
When Ms. Pooyan fled, she alerted her adult son and called triple-0.
Molayee, who left in his Holden Astra, was found sitting in a McDonald’s parking lot in Sunnybank just before 10pm.
Sgt. Downey said multiple police units, including members of the public safety response team, surrounded Molayee’s vehicle.
The court was told the officers attempted to negotiate through the driver’s side window, but a “dynamic” situation developed when Molayee poured fuel on himself and “tried to light a lighter.”
“I was completely engulfed in flames,” he said.
Fire extinguishers and non-lethal projectiles were deployed, the latter ineffective, as Molayee got out of the car and began to ‘run’ towards the police.
“The rounds were just bouncing off him,” said Sergeant Downey.
Sgt. Downey (pictured) said multiple police units, including members of the public safety response team, surrounded Molayee’s vehicle.
She said Molayee was then shot down by two fatal rounds fired by lead constable David Collander.
Sergeant Downey said she conducted an investigation into how police handled the situation and found no fault or suggestions of misconduct.
She said the force used was “justifiable and reasonable” in the circumstances.
The investigation into Molayee’s death is examining the circumstances leading up to the shooting, whether officers had proper training and the appropriateness of police actions, including the decision to use deadly force.
It will also examine the adequacy of the investigation into Molayee’s death by the Queensland Police Ethics Standards Command.
The investigation continues.