Cop's Coolum shooting: 10 seconds between life, death

SENIOR Constable Evan Condon remembers a machete-wielding man walking quickly forwards and he remembers firing the last of the five bullets which stopped him.

Police investigate the Coolum shooting death of Anthony William Young in 2013. Picture: Darryn Smith

SENIOR Constable Evan Condon remembers a machete-wielding man walking quickly towards him and he remembers firing the last of the five bullets which stopped him.

The former Coolum police officer said there were "grey patches" in his memory of the 10 seconds after arriving at a Coolum Yandina Rd home on August 21, 2013.

Snr Const Condon gave a detailed account to a Coroner's inquest in Maroochydore this morning of his encounter with Anthony William Young.

He was a passenger in the police car being driven by partner Constable Jason Jupp shortly after they had began their night shift.

They took a back streets route from the station to Yandina Coolum Rd where neighbour's 000 calls had alerted police to a possible stabbing.

Large trees and vehicles obscured the house numbers as they approached, the address, causing them to drive past the driveway.

Snr Const Condon noted a man, who turned out to be Anthony Young, had watched from the driveway as the police car passed and then parked.

There was nothing noticeably menacing to Snr Const Condon about the man who had just stabbed his brother, David Young and David's partner Louise Dekens, to death.

"I believed at that time it possibly could be an informant or a witness," Snr Const Condon told the inquest.

The officer said something to the effect of "it's the police mate, is everything okay?" as he got out of the car.

Within half a second Anthony, who was about 10m away, started to walk towards him.

After two paces he revealed what appeared to be a large-bladed weapon in his right hand.

"He held it out at one stage and then he picked up the pace towards me," he said.

Snr Const Condon said Young was not quite running when he lifted the blade above his head and began "moving it in a slashing manner".

He remembered yelling at Young before firing his Glock pistol as he stepped backwards, backing into a street poll while Young continued towards him.

He moved left onto the road and Young tried to follow him.

Young got close enough to brush Snr Const Condon as he fell.

Snr Const Condon said there was a fair bit of grey area in his memory.

He kept his gun trained on the now apparently incapacitated Young.

Young was lying on the footpath when the officers realised he had been carrying a second, smaller knife.

They ensured Young was on his side in the recovery position.

Snr Const Condon said his actions were a testament to the training he had received and his reaction to the threat had been muscle memory.

It was the first time he had used his gun in the line of duty during his 13-year career.

"As an experience it's something that you don't wish anybody should have to go through," Snr Const Condon told the inquest.

He said he was grateful for his training.

"The only shot I recall firing is the last one," he said.