Shot SA police officers relive Paralowie ambush nightmare

THE gun flashed as shrapnel flew into the faces and bodies of the two young police officers.

THE gun flashed as shrapnel flew into the faces and bodies of the two young police officers.

A split second before, a monotone, matter-of-fact voice told the pair they had walked into an elaborate ambush.

"You've been set up," the gunman said from behind the door.

Constables Tung Tran and Nathan Mulholland can still recall their tentative steps from their patrol car to the front door.

They had been sent to an apparent domestic dispute but there were none of the usual screams and shouts coming from inside. With torches trained on the screen door, they could make out a figure behind it. Just as the beam outlined a man's face, he pulled the trigger on a semi-automatic assault rifle.

It was a year ago but that instant that nearly claimed their lives while they were doing their duty remains vivid. The pair had been just 90 minutes from finishing their nightshift. Their previous job - a search following a report of shots fired at Munno Para - had taken three hours.

After a quick meal at their Salisbury patrol base they were sent to an address in Paralowie. The disturbance was called in just after 5.30am - a man saying he wanted a drunk female at his house removed.

"There was no disturbance, no lights on and it was very quiet," Const Mulholland, 26, married with three young children, said.

When the pair reached the front porch, they noticed someone standing behind the screen door holding an object. "When the beam reached the shoulders, you could see it was a male and he simply said, `You've been set up' to us. It was so matter of fact," Const Mulholland said.

The thought, "what's going on here", flashed through the mind of Const Tung, 23, who is also married. At that split second both officers turned to retreat but the gunman pulled the trigger. Luckily, the bullet struck the door's mesh and shattered, peppering them with shrapnel.

Unaware of the extent of their injuries - Const Tung was struck in the right eye, forehead, face and neck; Const Mulholland in the left hand and face - they retreated and called for back-up.

Bleeding and in shock, they set up a cordon until help arrived. While they waited, in pain, they could hear the gunman yelling.

Const Tung recalls: "He was yelling, `It's so easy to set you up, you have been set up'. He said it two or three times while we were taking cover."

Const Mulholland remembered him yelling, "Can't wait until the STAR force get here" and saying he "had plenty of ammo."

"It felt like ages but it was only in a minute or two that this unfolded," he said. It was only later that Const Mulholland realised the extent of his partner's injuries, seeing Const Tung in an ambulance. "His chest had been peppered and his right eye was massively swollen," he said.

While both officers returned to work within a month, they admit they are now more vigilant and less trusting. Both were distressed to learn from the DPP's office in December of doubts that the attempted murder charges against the man could be proven in court. Const Mulholland left the meeting feeling "gutted".

Const Tung said he was "pretty emotional" and still troubled by the decision.

"This has been very difficult. A rollercoaster. I would not want other police to go through this."

"He told us we had been set up. I don't understand how his actions can be so clear and yet this can happen," Const Mulholland said.