Police involved in shooting incident in Bowen

A man was naked, distressed and brandishing a large 70cm cane knife when he was shot dead by police in the main street of Bowen.

The North Australian Motel, Bowen, where a fatal police shooting occurred. Picture: Estelle Sanchez.

The man police fatally shot following a disturbance at a Bowen motel has been identified as 58-year-old Cairns man.

Police have declared a crime scene on Herbert street after a fatal incident early this morning.

Emergency services were called to be told a naked man was going through bins. They said the man appeared to be affected by alcohol or drugs.

As a result police were also called to the location.

He was spoken to for about 20 minutes before running back into the motel.

He came back holding a “cane knife” which was more than 30cm in length.

Police said he swung at officers and one shot was fired.

It can be revealed the man shot by police was David Dowker, 56, from Gordonvale.

He was understood to be staying in accommodation in Bowen.

The North Australian Motel, Bowen, where a man was fatally shot by Police. Picture: Estelle Sanchez.

Mackay District Superintendent Graeme Paine said police and paramedics had initially gone to the scene after receiving calls from members of the public concerned for the man’s welfare.

“He was unclothed at the time and some of the things that he was saying had drawn the attention of some members of the public,” Superintendent Paine said, adding at this stage witnesses had not felt threatened, but more concerned.

“There’s nothing from our perspective that indicates that there was any threats or any concerns outside of the actual statement from the person who called police,” he said.

“As a result of the conversation that occurred, the ambulance officers took the male inside the unit where he was staying in.

“Whilst inside the unit, the male has armed himself with a large cane knife.”

Superintendent Paine said the man then came out of the unit, “holding the cane knife swinging it around”.

“He approached two police officers that were standing outside the unit,” he said.

“The officers gave verbal commands for the male to drop the knife but he’s continued to approach the officers.

“One of the officers discharged the firearm striking the man in the chest,” he said, adding the officer was a sergeant, while the other officer was a senior constable.

Mr Graeme said the incident occurred “very quickly and in very confined space”.

He said officers had not tried to use a taser or other forms of defence as a result.

“One of the officers got a soft tissue injury to a hand that has occurred as a result of what’s happened,” he said.

Supt Paine said it was “concerning” the man had a cane knife as it was a “large knife, 70cm long”.

But did say the knife would be “pretty common” in a region that grows sugar cane.

Supt Paine said the Bowen police officers involved were “very shaken”.

“Certainly Bowen is a very small tight-knit community, regardless of whether someone is from the community or not, it has a large impact,” he said.

‘Thought I heard a shot’

A Bowen woman who started work at 4.45am at the news agency across the road from the North Australian motel where the shooting occurred said she “thought she heard a bang” just after 5.30am when she opened the shop.

Jodie, who did not want to give her last name, said she was not sure whether what she heard might have been the shooting as there were council trucks working around at the same time.

“I was inside but it was happening out there,” she said, adding that any customers waiting for the shop to open would have heard or seen more.

“I didn’t see anyone running around or anything like that.

“I just heard the police cars and the ambulances coming.

“They came very quickly.

“It’s just too close from home for something like this to be happening, that’s pretty scary.”

Allegations man threatened police with cane knife

Police have confirmed officers shot a man following a disturbance at the rear of the North Australian Motel in Herbert Street.

“Following receipt of information from a member of the public, Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance Service Officers responded to the disturbance at 5.30am,” a QPS spokesman said in a release to media.

It will be alleged the man entered a motel and returned with a large knife, described as a cane knife, threatening both the police and paramedics before being shot once.

He was immediately attended to by both the ambulance and police officers who attempted to revive him, however he died at the scene.

A crime scene has been declared.

This matter is under investigation by Ethical Standards Command on behalf of the State Coroner, with the investigation subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy confirmed a man was fatally shot in a police incident.

“It’s a terrible situation for the family … it’s a terrible situation for police,” he said.

Mackay police cordoned off streets in an unfolding emergency along Bridge Rd on Monday, November 21, 2022 which resulted in officers shooting a man. Picture: Heidi Petith

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said Dowker was “naked” and appeared “distressed” before he was fatally shot by a Constable early Thursday morning.

Mr Leavers said the 58-year-old’s behaviour appeared “erratic” before he then “closed in” on the Constable.

He said the police woman had tried to “retreat” when she was struck by the cane knife and “simultaneously fired one round from her service glock”.

The constable, with about four years of experience, was treated for a minor hand injury.

Dowker had no connection to Bowen. Opposition Police Minister Dale Last said Bowen was a “beautiful little community” shocked by the news of a 58-year-old man being fatally shot by police.

The Burdekin MP said the public needed to wait for the findings of an investigation into the incident before passing judgement.

He said that a full and transparent investigation was necessary.

“If they (police) fear that their life is in danger or jeopardy than they are authorised to use lethal force,” he said.

“I’m certain down the track that we’ll get a full picture of what’s actually occurred.”

Mr Last said he had been in Bowen three times in the past week for events.

“For this to occur, just as we’re running into Christmas, would be a huge shock to that community and it really just highlights that these incidents can happen at such short notice and evolve out of basically nothing,” Mr Last said.

Three police shootings in two years

This is the third police shooting incident in the Mackay Whitsunday region within the past 15 months.

On November 21, 2022 Andrew White was fatally shot after officers were called to a Bridge Rd unit to help paramedics, who were responding to a mental health call-out about 2.30pm.

Mr White had been in distress and holding what was believed to be a broken bottle before arming himself with a firearm and pointing it at police.

An inquest was held before deputy state coroner Stephanie Gallagher into the death of Luke Brian Gilbert, 24, who was shot three times in the chest by police at Airlie Beach on October 1, 2022. Picture: Supplied

Officers tried negotiating with the 24 year old to drop the weapon but Police Union boss Ian Leavers said Mr White continued walking towards them.

As a result the two experienced officers – a detective senior constable and plain clothes constable – were forced to use their weapons.

And in the early hours of October 1, 2022 Luke Gilbert was shot dead following an incident at Airlie Beach.

Police shot the 24 year old over claims he moved forward while armed with a knife about 12.20am in the tourism centre’s main street.

Officers fired three times at Mr Gilbert.