Family of Aubrey Donahue shown vision of police shooting

The family of a man shot by police in the state’s north has been shown footage from the siege, after police sought permission from the coroner amid mounting tensions with the First Nations community.

The family of a man shot by police while threatening the life of a young woman has been shown footage and heard audio from the four-hour siege after police sought permission from the Coroner.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll confirmed the rare request to the coroner had been made and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler told The Sunday Mail the footage showed 27-year-old Aubrey Donahue was holding a knife before he was killed.

The move came amid mounting tensions between law enforcement and the First Nations community following the death of Mr Donahue.

Mr Donahue’s family has claimed he was unarmed and attempting to surrender when he was shot but police say he was killed while wielding a knife and threatening the life of the young woman.

Mr Donahue, a man with an extensive history of “extreme” domestic violence offences, was killed on March 25 at a home in Mareeba, in North Queensland, after police responded to reports he was threatening a woman.

Aubrey Donahue was shot dead in Mareeba after police responded to reports he was threatening the life of a young woman. Picture: Brian Cassey

He was shot by members of the Special Emergency Response Team, who were not wearing body worn cameras when they entered the house.

But Ms Carroll said excerpts of body worn camera footage from police negotiators, which also captured audio of what unfolded inside, could be shown to the family after special permission was granted.

The material will be available to an ethical standards investigation as well as to the coroner.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Wheeler said: “The footage has been shown to the family and that was done so in the presence of their legal representative.”

Ms Carroll issued a firm defence of the police action in the case.

“I obviously am constrained (in what I can say) because the matter now is an investigation with the coroner,” she said.

“But the police went there for a specific reason over a serious siege involving a young girl.

“When specialist groups are called in, that’s because it’s beyond the capacity of the general duties (police) that are there.

“It’s tragic when anyone dies. However, it could have been far worse.

“The young victim could have died, as well as a police officer.”

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has defended the police officers involved in the shooting. Picture Glenn Hampson

She said two negotiators, who between them had 35 years’ experience, made “many attempts” to resolve the siege peacefully.

“We, as police officers, must always be thinking about the community’s safety and the victim’s safety first and foremost,” Ms Carroll said.

“I am briefed that this person was armed and that there is sufficient footage from the negotiator and certainly sufficient audio … to show how incredibly serious and dangerous this situation was.”

Ms Carroll said police would provide the family with as much information as they could about what unfolded during the siege.

“If there is any way that we can give the information, as much information to the victim’s family as we can, we go to the Coroner and ask for that permission and certainly I know permission has been given to look at certain audio as well as footage,” she said.

“That is incredibly important to give the victim’s family a better understanding as to what occurred to try and stop the misinformation that’s out there, because that is incredibly important as well.

“I ask that, in what is a tragedy, that there is understanding.

“The police were placed in a very difficult position where they had to save the life of a young woman, who is also a First Nations young woman.

“This is one of the worst situations a police officer can find themselves in, but there comes a point in time where they have to make critical decisions to save people’s lives.”