Police twice shot a man wielding a piece of wood and then tasered him during an alleged fight that also seriously injured an officer.
Authorities were called to Tamar Street in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley about 9.13am on Friday after reports of a man in the backyard of a house where he did not live, holding a piece of wood.
A 40-year-old officer and junior officer approached the man in an attempt to de-escalate his ‘agitated’ state, before the 26-year-old man reportedly lunged at the senior officer.
“The man approached the officers and a struggle ensued, and… the perpetrator grabbed a firearm from the lead officer,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Rhys Wildman told reporters.
“During the struggle for that particular firearm, the firearm discharged and the lead officer suffered a gunshot wound to the left inner thigh.”
The junior officer then shot the 26-year-old twice in the stomach before administering first aid to his fellow officer via a tourniquet.
Shortly afterwards, more officers arrived and had to deploy a Taser on the 26-year-old who remained agitated after his two gunshot wounds, Mr Wildman added.
During the altercation, the non-commissioned officer was also bitten by the perpetrator.
Authorities were called to Tamar Street in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley about 9.13am on Friday after reports of a man in the backyard of a home where he did not live.
“That’s how dynamic the situation was,” Mr Wildman said.
“He’s taking care of his partner and this guy is also still irritated, which is why the second crew is there and he has to deploy a taser.
“This is a very, very unusual turn of events involving a very dedicated man.”
Wildman said it is “extremely” unusual to deploy a Taser after a suspect has been shot.
“The briefing provided only reinforces the dynamic nature of this incident and the extremely difficult circumstances these two officers faced while responding to what on the face of it appeared to be a fairly simple call.”
The suspect and two officers were taken to nearby Princess Alexandra Hospital, where the 26-year-old alleged perpetrator is undergoing surgery in a serious condition and the 40-year-old senior officer remains stable.
The petty officer was treated for a bite wound and has since been released.
“Police officer is an extremely dangerous profession,” Wildman said.
Wildman said it is “extremely” unusual to deploy a Taser after a suspect has been shot
‘These are officers who perform a job like this, where a simple job can very quickly escalate into something that becomes a life-threatening situation. Our thoughts go out to the officers involved.’
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister David Crisafulli said an incident like this “sends a shiver down the spine.”
“It shows why people respect the men and women of the Queensland Police Service so much,” he told reporters.
“They run towards situations where others naturally run away and there is no place for that in modern Queensland.”
An investigation into the incident will be conducted by the Ethical Standards Command, under the supervision of the Crime and Corruption Commission.