Furious family demands police release bodycam footage after man was shot dead amid claims he was armed with a knife and took woman hostage
- Aubrey Donahue’s family said he was unarmed
- They have demanded the release of bodycam footage
The family of a man shot by police after a four-hour siege denies he was armed with a knife and is demanding bodycam footage be released.
Officers were called to a house in Mareeba, 40 miles west of Cairns, around 11:30 am Saturday morning. receiving reports of a domestic violence incident and threats of self-harm.
Aubrey Donahue, 27, spoke to police negotiators who claimed a woman was also in the Love Street home and that he refused to let her leave.
Tactical officers entered the house at 3:30 p.m. and claim they opened fire on Donahue when he charged at them with a knife.
But family member Victoria Van Schie disputes those claims.
The family of Aubrey Donahue (pictured), who was killed by police after a four-hour siege, denies he was armed with a knife and demands bodycam footage be released
Aubrey Donahue spoke to police negotiators who claimed there was also a woman in the Love Street home (pictured) and that he refused to let her leave
“There was no DV (domestic violence) situation, as reported so far…we want the police to release the bodycam footage to us, we’ll look into it,” she shared The courier mail.
“He had his whole life ahead of him and it was stolen.
‘He didn’t have a knife. He had his mobile phone in his hand.’
Tensions between the community and the police have flared since the deadly shooting with patrol cars pelted with objects and officers yelled at in the street.
At a town rally on Sunday, Donahue’s mother, Desley, told the crowd of 100 that police have kept her in the dark about what happened, the Cairns Post reported.
“My son has bullet holes in his body. I’m his mother and they (police) don’t tell me,” she said.
‘Thank you all for coming. I don’t know what me and my children would do without your support.’
Amid the raging anger in the area following the shooting, Detective Acting Superintendent Sonia Smith said police are currently working very hard in the community of Mareeba.
“We use our police liaison officers to reach out to the community, to the family and to everyone affected by this.”
Tensions between the community and the police have flared since the deadly shooting with patrol cars pelted with objects and officers yelled at in the street. Pictured is a community gathering about the shooting
An investigation is being conducted by independent officials from the Ethical Standards Command who traveled to Cairns and Mareeba on Sunday.
The investigation is also overseen by agents of the Crime and Corruption Commission and they conduct that investigation on behalf of the state coroner.
Superintendent Smith said: “It is very important that an independent and thorough investigation be conducted.
“The crime scene is the responsibility of the Ethics Standards Command agents and they will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted.”