Cop killer goes down firing after negotiations fail

A COP-killing gunman kept elite police at bay by threatening to blow them up with ­explosives from inside a stronghold where he had stockpiled powerful guns.

• ‘Never going to give up’
• Forte: Troubled by risks
• Cop killer shot dead

A COP-killing gunman kept elite police at bay by threatening to blow them up with ­explosives from inside a stronghold where he had stockpiled powerful guns.

Rick Maddison, armed with an automatic weapon understood to be an SKS, shot at specialist officers when he tried to flee his stronghold at a rural property at Ringwood, west of Brisbane, yesterday.

The Special Emergency Response Team officers returned fire and killed him, shooting him multiple times.

His weapon was so powerful that a bullet fractured the armoured glass to one vehicle, with an officer cut to the face during the gunfight.

Police say Rick Maddison “chose to take matters into his own hands” as yesterday’s siege came to a close.

Senior officers said that he had a “grievance against police” and had negotiated with him all night before his last stand with specialist officers yesterday morning.

It followed a 20-hour siege at the property after the criminal murdered father-of-three Senior Constable Brett Forte of Toowoomba’s Tactical Crime Squad.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said that officers attempted to negotiate with Maddison, but he would not surrender and “chose to take matters into his own hand”.

“He approached police, he was challenged, he shot at police, he was challenged again,” he said.

“And when pointing his weapon, police returned fire, fatally wounding him.”

Brett and Susan Forte had three children. Accounts have been established for people to make donations.

Mr Gollschewski said it would take some time to know “exactly who fired what at who, how many shots were fired — because he did fire shots as well — and where they ended up”.

Maddison confronted a number of officers at different times when he left the house and officers called on him to put his weapon down.

Mr Gollschewski confirmed that the police bomb squad was at the crime scene yesterday.

Officers using night vision monitored the property overnight and said they could have spent up to a week holding him in the position.

Maddison had a chequered history including acts of violence and is understood to have associated with well-known criminals in the Toowoomba area.

Rick Maddison was ‘never going to surrender’ to police.

Residents on Wallers Rd said police interviewed them three weeks ago about gun shots fired one night and suspected it was in relation to Maddison who lived nearby.

He was wanted for questioning and was on outstanding warrants when police including Senior Constable Forte ­intercepted his car on Wallers Rd at Adare in the Lockyer Valley on Monday about 2.20pm.

The warrants were understood to be in relation to domestic violence.

The Courier-Mail has been told Maddison got out of the car and shot at the police car before officers tried to escape by reversing.

Senior Constable Forte is understood to have been wounded at this point. A female officer is understood to have shot back at Maddison and then the police car crashed.

He is understood to have continued shooting.

A second police car gave back-up.

Maddison kept firing before police were able to reverse away. He then fled.

Police said Maddison had access to multiple weapons, but would not go into detail about them.

Officers could hear him laughing as he fired at the police helicopter.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said Maddison had “many opportunities” to resolve the situation peacefully.

“I squarely, squarely, put all the responsibility for what has happened in the last 24 hours in his court,” he said.

Mr Stewart said Senior Constable Forte’s death had sent shockwaves across the Queensland Police Service.

Rick Maddison was armed with an automatic weapon, believed to be an SKS.

“It is the one scenario that we all fear — that an officer simply goes to work to do their best for the community and loses their life doing just that,” he said.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said Constable Forte’s family and colleagues were devastated.

“They’re grieving incredibly and they are still coming to terms with it,” he said.

Donations can be made at: QBANK: Brett Forte Remembrance Fund; BSB: 704 052; ACC No: 100 179 875 or Westpac: BSB: 034 838; Acc No: 263281

Flowers left at Toowoomba police station in honour of Brett Forte. Picture: Sarah Motherwell/AAP