$500k reward after attempted murder of Logan police officer

Can you help solve the mystery of the country’s only unsolved police shooting? It happened at a Browns Plains bank in 1999.

Mystery still surrounds the holdup of a Browns Plains bank in 1999 when a police officer was shot.

A $500,000 reward has been announced to help crack Australia’s only unsolved police shooting investigation after the attempted murder of a police officer in Logan 21 years ago.

The incident happened in 1999 when two men forced their way into a National Australian bank at Browns Plains just before 8.30am on March 24 and detained everyone inside at gunpoint.

Two police officers attended and moments after arriving at the scene one was shot by an offender.

The projectile entered through his groin and exited via his buttocks.

He immediately fell to the ground and an offender stole the officer’s firearm.

This coincided with the other officer positioning himself at the rear of the premises.

At that time, the offenders fired their guns twice and the bullets exited through the rear window narrowly missing the second officer, who was sprayed with glass.

The offenders then fled on foot, taking two staff members as hostages.

On reaching Browns Plains Rd, the offenders stole a vehicle at gunpoint.

The vehicle was later abandoned at Park Ridge.

At the time of the incident the offenders were wearing off-white plastic masks, surgical style gloves and were seen to be carrying two-way radios.

The officer who was shot later underwent emergency surgery, where it was determined the projectile had missed major arteries by millimetres.

The stolen police firearm, a Sturm Ruger .357 six-shot revolver is still missing.

An initial reward of $100,000 was increased to $250,000 in 2004, however, with the case still open, the reward amount was boosted to $500,000 today.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Condon said it was hoped the increased reward and passage of time would finally lead to an arrest.

“There are now 500,000 reasons for someone to come forward,” Assistant Commissioner Condon said.

“On the day, the police officers were just doing their job, responding to a very serious incident – trying to keep the community safe.

“The community expects these cowardly acts to be fully investigated and these offenders brought to justice no matter how long it takes.

“Police will never give up and we have new information that is very promising.”

In addition to the increased reward, which remains at the Police Commissioner’s discretion, an appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be recommended for any accomplice, not being the person who committed the crime, who first gives such information.