Parents of Luke Gilbert shot at Airlie Beach Queensland could be sued by police officers

Two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man who brandished a knife and taunted them at a nightclub have threatened to sue his parents.

Luke Gilbert of Western Australia was in Airlie Beach in North Queensland in October 2022 when he was shot by Senior Constable David Murray and Constable Liam Forster.

According to police, Mr. Gilbert, who worked in nearby Townsville, approached officers armed with a penknife before allegedly threatening them and refusing to drop the weapon.

A witness claimed he heard Mr. Gilbert yell ‘shoot me, shoot me’ before running towards the officers.

The two police officers are now threatening to sue Mr. Gilbert’s parents, Darren and Nicola Gilbert, for $500,000 over posts and an online petition they filed that they believe contain false and defamatory claims.

The recent draft memorandum obtained by The Brisbane Times claiming that the messages and petition place the blame for Mr. Gilbert’s death on the officers.

Lawyers for the officers had previously asked for an apology for the posts, but Mr Gilbert’s parents refused.

At a pre-investigation hearing in April, Mr. Gilbert was heard passing officers on the entertainment street and crossing the road when officers asked him what was on his belt.

He then unhooked the knife from his belt to reveal what it was and walked over to officers on Shute Harbor Rd at around 12:20 a.m., who repeatedly told him to put the gun down.

His family claims that he used the knife for his work as a tradition.

A man who was filming himself eating a kebab nearby managed to catch the gunfire on video.

Several shots are heard, with the man repeatedly exclaiming ‘they just fucking shot him’.

The knife allegedly used reportedly had a blade between four and seven inches and a black handle.

Two friends Budd Norris and Kade Luck were on a night out in the popular town when they heard the shots ring out.

They allegedly saw a man cross the road with ‘a knife in his hand’.

“He’s like ‘shoot me, shoot me’ and he just decided to run at them (the officers),” Mr Norris told the Courier Mail.

The witnesses said they heard police tell him to put down the knife and fire a warning shot as he ran towards the officers.

“And then ‘bang bang’ after he kept coming at them,” Mr. Luck said.

The couple thought fireworks had gone off in the street.

A five-shot volley was fired by the officers, three of which hit Mr Gilbert in the right upper chest before he fell to the floor, the court heard.

Lawyers for the officers claim the posts harmed them and they were concerned about the hatred directed against them as the inquest into the shooting looms.

The posts had “abused” and “maligned” the officers, said Shane Prior, president of the Queensland police union.

“Those two officers involved remain deeply affected by the incident that took place when the perpetrator brandishing a knife left the police no other choice,” he said.

Darren and Nicola Gilbert said the demand to apologize to the officers was particularly hard to swallow.

Ms Gilbert said she burst into tears when she learned of the potential lawsuit.

Following legal notices, the pair have removed the posts in question.

An inquest into the shooting will be held in August to determine whether police were compelled to shoot Mr Gilbert.

It will also be checked whether the officers acted in accordance with police policy, whether their actions were appropriate and whether their training was sufficient.

It will also try to determine whether policies and training need to be reviewed to avoid a similar incident.