Cairns nurse rushes to treat man shot by police officer

A Cairns nurse has spoken of treating the man who was shot by police after he stole their vehicle and threatened officers with weapons.

Woree nurse Angus Macnamara rushed to the aid of a man allegedly shot by a police officer near Southcare Medical Centre on Wednesday morning.

Cairns nurse Angus Macnamara anticipated a busy day when he arrived at work on Wednesday morning – but he never expected to treat a gunshot victim.

The first responder rushed to the care of a 21-year-old, who was shot by a police officer following a dramatic pursuit that ended on Sondrio Street in Far North Queensland, soon after arriving at Southcare Medical Centre around 8am.

“All I heard were a bunch of sirens, there were a bunch of people standing at the door saying, ‘Someone just got shot’,” the 26-year-old said.

“Me and one of the doctors went out there to help. The cops seemed to have it under control.

“They were stopping the bleeding from the man’s neck.”

Police officers inspect a crime scene at the intersection of Sondrio and Torino Streets, Woree, where a 21-year-old male was allegedly shot by police officers after stealing a police car. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Macnamara stayed with the man for around 10 minutes before he was whisked away by paramedics and taken to Cairns Hospital where he is in a stable condition.

“He was able to breathe but seemed to have some kind of damaged jaw,” Mr Macnamara said. “I was mostly just taking vital signs.

“There were a tonne of cop cars blocking off all the roads. There was one (police) vehicle that was absolutely smashed up.

“Everyone was trying to get the scene under control, get the guy in handcuffs.”

Mr Macnamara, who said it was his first time treating a gunshot victim, immediately returned to treating patients following the incident.

“There have been few things like that around here,” he said. “A little while ago, a bloke got run over by a garbage truck.

“Obviously, it was bad but you just have to get back to work, don’t you?”

Authorities said the 21-year-old male is being treated at Cairns Hospital where he is in a stable condition. Picture: Brendan Radke

A woman attending a medical appointment, who asked not to be named, said she went into shock after hearing what sounded like two gunshots.

“I was fairly shaken up,” she said. “It was just metres from where I was sitting.

“I was shocked and scared. I counted around nine police cars, a paramedic and fire engine at one stage.

“There was a police officer shouting at someone and trying to keep onlookers off the road.

“I certainly feel for the first responders for what they had to deal with.

“There’s going to be a lot of trauma across the spectrum from this kind of event.”

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokesman said the man was in a stable condition on Wednesday afternoon.

Originally published as Cairns nurse rushes to treat man shot by police officer