Police shooting at Airlie Beach: Young man dead

A young partygoer has captured the moment police fatally shot a man who rushed at them armed with a knife. It comes as witnesses recall the man yelling “shoot me”. VIDEO *Distressing content

A group of mates in Airlie Beach for a footy trip have detailed how they heard a young man, later shot dead by police, yell “shoot me” as he charged at officers holding a knife.

Budd Norris, Jack Bailey and Kade Luck, all from Yeppoon, had been enjoying a Friday night out at the party hotspot when the emergency unfolded.

“The guy ran across the road … he had a knife in his hand,” Mr Norris said, adding the knife had been in a sheath.

The knife was described as being black handled with a 4-5cm blade.

Mr Norris said the man, now identified as a 24-year-old Western Australian who had been working in Townsville, yelled at police “shoot me” after officers told him to “put down the knife”.

Budd Norris and Kade Luck who were nearby when police shot a 24-year-old man after he charged at officers armed with a knife. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“He’s like ‘shoot me, shoot me’ and he’s just decided to run at them,” Mr Norris said.

Mr Luck, who had been on the deck at Airlie Sun and San Studio when the incident occurred outside the NAB Bank on the main strip, said the man had been standing on the opposite side of the road near an ambulance when he ran across at the officers.

He also recalled seeing the man run across the road and the officers telling him to stop before they fired a warning shot.

“And then ‘bang bang’ after he kept coming at them,” Mr Luck said.

“He was yelling at them.

“We thought it was fireworks. We thought someone let fireworks off in the main street.”

Police investigating the crime scene where a 24-year-old man was shot dead after running at police armed with a knife. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Officers fired about four to five times. They attempted CPR but the man was later declared dead at Proserpine hospital.

The incident has left the group in shock.

“How many times in Australia do you see that?” Mr Luck said

The gunshots can clearly be heard in the background of a video taken at the moment the incident occurred on the busy strip.

The video was taken by a young man who had bought a kebab across the road.

In it, he repeatedly says “they just f***ing shot him” with a shocked expression on his face.

“I thought they were going to get him with a taser,” he said in the video.

Speaking to reporters at Airlie Beach on Saturday, Superintendent Graeme Paine said officers fired their weapons about four or five times

Police had been on foot in the Airlie Beach Safe Night Precinct when the man approached two officers, “produced a knife and advanced towards the officers”, Supt Paine said.

“As a result the officers have withdrawn their firearms and provided some directions to the male to drop the knife,” superintendent Paine said during a media conference in the Whitsundays on Saturday morning.

“That male has continued to advance towards the officers

Supt Paine said police had already spoken to a number of witnesses as part of their investigation.

The incident was captured on CCTV and police body worn cameras.

“We’re still investigating the circumstances, obviously it takes a little while for us to go back through what happened,” Supt Paine said.

Police investigating the crime scene where a 24-year-old man was shot dead after running at police armed with a knife. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“Part of the investigation is we’ll look at some of the different premises and we’ll look at the CCTV and we’ll interview different people to try and … find out what’s happened during the night leading up to the incident.”

Police were not prepared to speculate if the man had been under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Superintendent Paine said the scene would be forensically analysed with further examination to be conducted.

He said police had been in contact with the man’s family in Western Australia.

“It’s a tragic circumstance for the family of the young man, also for the officers involved so we’re providing support,” Superintendent Paine said, adding he could not speculate how long the man had been in Airlie or for what reason.

Asked about the famous party strip, Superintendent Paine said, “it’s obviously a fairly dynamic Safe Night Precinct”.

Police inspecting a vehicle hit with bullets when police were forced to shoot at a man charged at them armed with a knife. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“We would encourage anyone who may have witnessed the incident who hasn’t yet come forward to police to come forward and assist us with our inquiries,” he said

“I do want to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife at any time in a public place.

“It’s an offence under certain circumstances but to carry a knife in a Safe Night Precinct which is a dynamic place where there is people consuming alcohol.

“It really does pose a significant threat to the public including the police that are in there trying to maintain the safety of everyone.

“That’s a really significant factor for us, the fact that someone has had a knife in such a dynamic area”.

Members of the Ethical Standards Command are in the Whitsundays to investigate the incident including why the man approached officers.

A stray bullet hit a nearby parked ute, some 50m from the scene of a police shooting in the Whitsundays. Picture: Janessa Ekert

It is understood police are investigating if the man had been involved in an earlier incident that night.

A vehicle parked about 50m from the scene of the shooting was hit with a stray bullet.

Part of Shute Harbour Road remained closed on Saturday and was expected to remain so for several hours.

Superintendent Graeme Paine. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday it was “simply not possible” for police to use a taser instead of a gun on a man they shot dead in Airlie Beach.

Mr Leavers said the situation quickly escalated and the two experienced police officers had no other choice but to shoot.

“A male person has approached the police and began talking with the police … then all of a sudden has produced a knife from his hoodie, and then started threatening the police,” he said

“The police have tried to further engage and they have retreated … trying to continue to communicate with this male person who had then at a point has lunged at police and they’ve had no other alternative but to use their firearm.”

Mr Leavers said the conversation started out as civil until the man snapped and pulled out the knife.

He defended his officer’s use of a firearm instead of a taser, saying it may not have worked.

“This is a tragedy that took place and they did their best to resolve it but they had no other option to use their firearm.

“It was simply not possible, and it’s easy for people to say ‘police should have used a taser’ … (but) they weren’t there.

“But when you’re in a certain proximity, a firearm is the only option to preserve your life. Otherwise, we could have two murdered police officers.”

Police union president Ian Leavers says police had no choice but to shoot a man who charged at them armed with a knife.

Mr Leavers said the man has significant mental health history, as well as criminal history interstate.

The internal investigation was expected to take between six months and a year.

Mr Leavers said both officers involved, who had 16 years experience between them, were being provided help but otherwise doing well.

Earlier, a tourist in town for a family holiday at Airlie Beach spoke about the moment she realised a man had been shot.

“We left the clubs and were walking down the street when I heard two or three shots,” she said.

“I thought ‘what the hell was that’, I thought someone was hitting a metal sign.

“Then we kept walking and saw police performing CPR on a guy.”

The taped off scene where a man in his 30s was shot dead by police at Airlie Beach. PHOTO: Janessa Ekert

The tourist also said police quickly taped off the area and tried to move a small group of people away from the scene.

Videos from the night show a larger crowd of people quickly gathered around the area as police worked on the man.

The tourist said it wasn’t until later that she realised someone had been shot.

“It honestly just looked like he was passed out. There was no blood or anything.

“We went and saw some friends who actually watched it happen who said the guy had been shot.

“They said he was charging at police who were yelling ‘drop it, drop it’ before he was shot.”

Access to the main strip at Airlie Beach closed as emergency services remain at the scene where a man in his 30s was shot by police overnight.

An investigation is underway into the incident which happened about 12.20am along the Shute Harbour Rd precinct when officers were approached by the man.

The officers involved were a male Senior Constable with 13 years’ experience, and a male Constable with three years’ experience.

Mr Leavers said he did not know which officer discharged their weapon, or if both officers shot at the man.

He said the officers, who were “family men”, will no doubt have “severe impacts” from the ordeal.

“This is quite traumatic. And no police officer ever wants to use their firearm in any way shape or form.

“This is a tragedy that took place and they did their best to resolve it but they had no other option to use their firearm.

“It is very difficult, and you‘re making split second decisions … but I know these decisions will be overseen over months … even six to 12 months.”

Mr Leavers did not speculate whether the man had been involved in an earlier incident at a nightclub.

“All of this will be an open book with the ethical standards command.

The party strip at Airlie Beach where SES workers help at the scene where a man in his 30s was shot overnight. PHOTO: Janessa Ekert

“If there are other instances that have taken place prior to this, we welcome a full, open and transparent investigation because we need all the information we possibly can.

“Police have nothing to fear on this.”

The Airlie Beach shooting comes after a night of violence on the Gold Coast, after a man sustained chest wounds in a drive-by shooting incident.

Police say a young Brisbane man and two others were allegedly shot at while walking at Surfers Paradise about 4.30am.