Police have backed an officer who shot an alleged knife-wielding man at a central Queensland property, saying the veteran Senior Constable ‘had no choice’.
A single officer was called to a house on Running Creek Rd in Kilkivan, near Gympie, on Friday afternoon following reports of a ‘disturbance’ and found a 52-year-old man with fatal stab wounds, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A second man, aged 42, was shot once in the chest after allegedly threatening the responding officer with a knife, a Queensland Police spokesperson said.
A small community in central Queensland has been rocked by a fatal stabbing in which an officer shot the alleged knifeman
The man remained in a critical condition at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on Saturday
Detective Acting Chief Inspector Paul Algie said the officer at Kilkivan station had attempted to defuse the situation.
“The police officer attempted to withdraw and negotiate with the man and did so for an extended period of time … unfortunately he had no other action other than to fire his service pistol,” Det Algie said at a press conference on Saturday..
“He shot him once in the chest and then immediately went to his aid to administer first aid as per his training.
“Upon the arrival of the backup police, his colleagues and friends from Goomeri assisted with first aid, not only to the suspect, but also to the man who had initially been stabbed.”
The officer involved had 10 years of police experience and has a young family.
Det Algie described the incident as shocking and said it was an ‘unusual set of circumstances’ for the quiet, law-abiding district where he has been stationed since 2017.
“I can confirm that nothing like this has happened in that community in the time I have been in the area,” Det Algie said.
Although the family was known to the police, this only happened in the context of a small community where everyone knew everyone.
Police had never before been called to the property for a complaint or emergency.
“Kilkivan is a very small rural community and our officers in that community are clearly very concerned about what has happened,” Det Algie said.
‘As a local police officer, this is the worst call you can get.
‘Preliminary investigation shows that the suspected perpetrator was holding a knife and that knife was also in his hands when he was shot.
“There is generally no crime in the community so this is a very shocking case.”
Police say the two men had a ‘familial relationship’ and both lived at the property while health workers supported residents.
A crime scene has been declared at the address and police investigations are continuing
In response to a question about whether the deceased man had a physical disability and was wheelchair-bound, Acting Chief Inspector Algie said investigators were still assessing his physical condition.
He told the media that the only responding officer was there as backup for paramedics who were called to the property.
A Queensland Police spokesperson said the alleged murder and subsequent shooting were being investigated by the Ethical Standards Command, overseen by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
“A crime scene has been declared at the address and police investigations are continuing,” the spokesperson said.
Police have also launched a separate murder investigation into the alleged stabbing.