Willows police-involved shooting: Townsville man made threats but unarmed, family claim

A family of a wanted man who suffered critical injuries when he was shot during a stand-off with police in Townsville on Sunday claim he made threats but was unarmed.

Officers at the scene of a police-involved shooting at Willows Shopping Centre Townsville on Sunday. Picture: Daneka Hill

The family of a man critically injured when he was shot after making threats during a stand-off with police at Willows Shopping Centre in Townsville claim he was unarmed at the time.

The man’s aunt, who does not wish to be identified, also claimed that Queensland Police Service failed to inform the family about Sunday’s shooting and had kept them in the dark about his condition as he continued to fight for his life.

The man, understood to be 29 and the father of a young child, was wanted by police and has previously served time in prison.

The Queensland Police Union say the man was “high risk” and had an “extensive history with weapons and violence offences”.

The aunt said the man’s mother, who suffered from ill health, had been admitted to Townsville University Hospital on Wednesday suffering from breathing problems from the flu and the stress caused by the police-involved shooting of her son by tactical officers from the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT).

Officers at the scene of a police-involved shooting at Willows Shopping Centre Townsville on Sunday. Picture: Daneka Hill

She said the mother found out that her son had been shot after she was contacted by a TUH surgeon at 5.05pm on Sunday asking for permission to operate because he was unconscious.

“Then she found out who shot him by social media and the news,” she said.

“His mum tried to go and see him (on Monday) and they refused to let her in, the police said they would keep her updated but they haven’t.”

TUH confirmed on Wednesday that the man remained in a serious but stable condition following the incident under a stairwell in the Big W loading dock when he made threats to police.

Townsville police at the scene of a earlier police-involved shooting in Mitchell Street near the corner of McLinley Street, North Ward, Townsville, on July 19. Picture: Cameron Bates

The aunt, who said her nephew had been operated on three times, said the mother had finally been visited by police on Tuesday.

“She had a visit yesterday, I think from the investigators and the social worker, and apparently he told them (twice) that he had a gun but they didn’t make sure 100 per cent and shot him three times,” she said.

“(In the) stomach, arm and I’m not sure if it was his face or his other arm and the shrapnel’s just gone into his face … we’re not 100 per cent sure, we just know what the media have told us.”

She said other than the surgeon calling three times for permission to operate, the only information they had been provided was by a TUH nurse who said that he was in ICU.

The aunt said she believed the police had used excessive force, despite her nephew twice claiming to be armed.

“He did tell them twice apparently that he did have a weapon but he had nothing on him but they didn’t know that until after they shot him so as far as I am concerned it was a bit excessive … without finding 100 per cent that he was armed or not,” she said.

“If he was armed, yeah go for gold but he wasn’t armed and they didn’t find out for definite, they just went on him gobbing off like he does.”

Townsville police at the scene of a earlier police-involved shooting in Mitchell Street near the corner of McLinley Street, North Ward, Townsville, on July 19. Picture: Cameron Bates

The aunt confirmed her nephew, who is a carer for his mother and has custody of his child because the mother was in jail, was a trouble-maker and had served a recent three-month stint in jail “but he doesn’t go around shooting people”.

She said reports that he had manufactured a pistol were a beat-up as he only used it for smoking dope.

“It had no mechanism in it, it couldn’t hold a bullet, if you put something through the barrel it just fell out, it wasn’t a gun.”

The aunt said she did not know what current alleged charges the man was facing.

“I love him to death but he’s just an idiot sometimes,” she said.

The woman said she was speaking about it because her sister needed to have been told about the shooting “the minute it happened, not days later”.

“She deserved to find out from them and not the media,” she said.

QPS has been contacted for comment.

The investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Ethical Standards Command.

Originally published as Willows police-involved shooting: Townsville man made threats but unarmed, family claim