Police shot a man wielding a piece of wood twice and then shot him with a Taser during an alleged fight that also left an officer with serious injuries.
Authorities were called to Tamar Street in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley on Friday around 9.13am after reports of a man in the backyard of a house he did not live in, wielding a piece of wood.
A 40-year-old police officer and a junior officer approached the man in an attempt to alleviate his “agitated” state, before the 26-year-old man allegedly lunged at the senior officer.
“The man approached officers and a struggle began, and… the offender lunged at a firearm belonging to the senior officer,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Rhys Wildman told reporters.
“During the struggle over that particular firearm, the weapon discharged and the senior officer received a gunshot wound to the inner left thigh.”
The young officer then shot the 26-year-old twice in the stomach before providing first aid to his partner with a tourniquet.
More officers arrived shortly after and had to fire a Taser at the 26-year-old who was still agitated after his two gunshot wounds, Wildman added.
The young police officer was also bitten by the offender during the altercation.
Authorities were called to Tamar Street in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley on Friday about 9.13am after reports of a man in the backyard of a home he did not live in.
“That’s how dynamic the situation was,” Mr. Wildman said.
“He’s tending to his partner and this man is still agitated, so the second team came and had to use a Taser.
“This is a very, very unusual set of circumstances for a very committed man.”
Wildman said it was “extremely” unusual to use a Taser after a suspect has been shot.
“The information provided simply reinforces the dynamic nature of this incident and the extremely difficult circumstances those two officers faced in responding to what, at first glance, seemed like a fairly simple call.”
The suspect and two officers were taken to the nearby Princess Alexandra Hospital, where the alleged offender, 26, is undergoing surgery in a serious condition and the 40-year-old senior officer remains in a stable condition.
The junior officer was treated for a bite and has since been released.
“Police is an extremely dangerous profession,” Wildman said.
Wildman said it was “extremely” unusual to use a Taser after a suspect had been shot.
‘These are officers who attend jobs like this, where a simple job can quickly turn into something that becomes a life-threatening situation. So our thoughts are with the officers involved.’
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister David Crisafulli said an incident like this “gives you a chill.”
“It shows why people respect the men and women of the Queensland Police Service so much,” he told reporters.
“They run into situations that others naturally flee from and there is no place for that in modern Queensland.”
The Ethical Standards Command will conduct an investigation into the incident with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.