An angry family demands that cops release body camera footage after the man was shot dead amid claims he was armed with a knife and was holding a woman hostage.
- Aubrey Donahue’s family said he was unarmed
- They have demanded the release of body camera footage.
The family of a man shot dead by police after a four-hour siege denies he was armed with a knife and demands that body camera footage be released.
Officers were called to a house in Mareeba, 40 miles west of Cairns, at around 11:30am on Saturday after receive reports of a domestic violence incident and threats of self-harm.
Aubrey Donahue, 27, spoke to police negotiators who allege a woman was also inside the Love Street house and he refused to let her out.
Tactical officers entered the home at 3:30 pm and claim they opened fire on Mr. Donahue when he approached them with a knife.
But relative Victoria Van Schie is disputing 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 that body camera footage be released.
Aubrey Donahue spoke to police negotiators who allege a woman was also inside the Love Street house (pictured) and he refused to let her out.
“There was no DV (domestic violence) situation as reported to date…we want the police to give us the body camera footage, we will review it,” he said. the courier mail.
He had his whole life ahead of him and it has been stolen from him.
I had no knife. He had his mobile phone in hand.
Tensions have flared between the community and police since the fatal shooting with police cars thrown with objects and officers verbally assaulted in the street.
At a town meeting on Sunday, Donahue’s mother, Desley, told the crowd of 100 that she was kept in the dark by police about what happened, the Cairns Post reported.
‘My son has bullet holes in his body. I am his mother and they (the police) don’t tell me anything,” she said.
‘I thank you all for coming. I don’t know what my children and I would do without your support.’
Amid the raging anger in the area after the shooting, Acting Detective Superintendent Sonia Smith said “police are working very hard on the ground right now in the Mareeba community.”
“We are using our police liaison officers to engage with the community, engage with the family, and engage with anyone who is affected by this.”
Tensions have flared between the community and police since the fatal shooting with police cars thrown with objects and officers verbally assaulted in the street. In the photo, a community meeting about the shooting.
Independent officers from the Ethics Standards Command who traveled to Cairns and Mareeba on Sunday are conducting an investigation.
The investigation is also being overseen by officers from the Crime and Corruption Commission and they are conducting that investigation on behalf of the state coroner.
Superintendent Smith said: ‘It is very important that a thorough and independent investigation is carried out.
“The crime scene is the responsibility of the Ethics Standards Command officers and they will ensure that a thorough examination is conducted.”
