Bret James shot by cops in ‘domestic incident’ as police defend the use of deadly force
Man shot three times by police in ‘domestic incident’ fights for his life – as investigators defend use of force
A man has been shot three times on the street by police in north Brisbane.
Officers were called to a residence at Burkell Court in Bray Park around 12:30 Monday after receiving reports of a domestic incident between a man and a woman.
The situation then escalated, resulting in 45-year-old Bret James receiving gunshot wounds from the officers present.
He was hospitalized in critical condition Monday night.
A man shot in the street by police in north Brisbane has been identified as Bret James (pictured)
Detective Ben Fadian would not say whether the man threatened the police or the residents of the house
Detective Ben Fadian said officers felt threatened at the time of the shooting.
“The first indications are that the police felt so threatened that they had to use force to solve the situation,” he said.
And the police are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve a situation. On this occasion they have used force to try to resolve the situation.’
Police fired several shots at the man.
Superintendent Fadian would not say whether the man acted threateningly towards officers or the woman at the scene, nor whether a taser had been deployed before the firearm was fired.
Residents who also lived at the address and in the street witnessed the incident.
Police are now at the crime scene looking for evidence
“I heard it, it went off at about 12:42 with three quick gunshots ‘bang, bang, bang’ and about 10 minutes later all the police and ambulances were all on this street,” she told 9 News.
The man is now being treated for gunshot wounds at Royal Brisbane Hospital.
An investigation into the incident has been launched by the Ethical Standards Command under the supervision of the Crime and Corruption Commission.
According to Superintendent Fadian, the officers were ‘experienced’.