Man shot dead by police in Townsville

New details have emerged after a man was shot dead by police in Townsville, with one neighbour seeing the entire ordeal from his bedroom window. WARNING: Confronting

A 26-year-old man was shot dead by police in Townsville overnight, with neighbours witnessing the incident, which was also captured on camera.

Police were called to a mental health incident at a house on Payne St in Mount Louisa shortly after midnight, arriving at 1.15am to find a man armed with a knife.

Dramatic video shows the man walking towards police as they shout “drop the knife, drop the knife” at him, before shots are heard and the camera cuts away.

Police at the scene on Sunday.

“As a result of an altercation that occurred at that residence a man has been identified carrying a knife and advancing on police,” Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Lawson said.

“At which point police attempted to utilise a taser to disarm this man, however that was ineffective and as a result he was shot.

“Police performed immediate first aid and tried to render assistance with assistance from QAS however it was unsuccessful and the man unfortunately passed away.”

The man died at the scene.

The man had interacted with the police on a “very minimal” number of occasions, Superintendent Lawson said.

The Mount Louisa scene.

Neighbours said they were woken in the early hours of Sunday to multiple gunshots.

One neighbour, Connor Fisher, heard the commotion around 1.30am before seeing the police shoot the man from his bedroom window.

“There was a lot of yelling from him and then the (police) telling him to get down on the ground,” Mr Fisher said.

“Then I just saw him start to walk … then he stopped for a moment and then went for a run towards a cop and that’s when I heard the shots.”

Police at the scene on Sunday.

Another neighbour Jess Chapman was home with her young daughter when she heard three gunshots.

“There was a lot of yelling and then boom, boom, boom and then quiet,” she said.

“My daughter woke up and then I was like ‘oh god what is happening’ … I believe he ran at the cops with a knife and then they shot him.

“They are generally good neighbours and good people … we have a big fence so they don’t tend to bother us too much and normally they are really good.”

A crime scene has been declared and an investigation is underway into the circumstances of the shooting.

Multiple police vehicles were at the Mount Louisa Sunday morning.

Superintendent Lawson said an investigation was underway into the incident which will be joined by the Brisbane Ethical Standards Command.

“Once (ESC) has been able to get out and have a look at the scene and make sure that the local detectives have collected all the evidence they need, the scene will be released but at this stage we’ll definitely be holding on to it, for at least overnight,” he said.

Superintendent Lawson said the circumstances around the failed taser would be investigated using the body cam footage from the six police officers attending the scene.

Police believe that the man was a permanent resident of the house in Mount Louisa.

The incident was one of three shootings in Queensland overnight.

In Morayfield, north of Brisbane, a woman was shot dead at a unit complex. In Brisbane, a manhunt is underway for a person involved in a shooting after reports of pellet shots fired in the city about 10.40pm, with at least three people believed to have been injured. Two people were in custody Sunday morning.

The Police Union has said that better treatment needs to be offered to those suffering from mental health issues after a man was shot dead by police in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police Union president Ian Leavers has labelled the incident a tragedy after a 26-year-old Torres Strait Islander man approached police with a knife and was subsequently shot and killed by officers on the scene.

Mr Leavers said that the initial call to emergency services at 12:15am was made by family members who were with the Mount Louisa man at the Payne St address.

Police arrived on the scene an hour later and family members assisted them in attempting to de-escalate the situation.

The scene of Saturday night’s shooting, where police shot dead a man in Townsville.

“(Police) attempted to engage with him and he was quite clearly suffering from mental health issues,” Mr Leavers said.

“Police have tried to negotiate as have family members with this person and he has continued to come at police.

“As police were retreating they deployed a taser which was ineffective and they had no other option but to use a firearm.

“It is traumatic for his family who were trying to de-escalate the situation as well as the police officers involved.”

Mr Leavers said that this incident proves just how important mental health treatment is within the community.

“I hope part of the coronial process looks at what other interventions could have or may have been available to assist this person who has lost his life this morning,” he said.

“My thoughts are with his family and my colleagues and fellow police officers who were called to this address this morning.”

“People need treatment, not incarceration … I believe in society and with proper treatment we can probably do better.”

The Ethical Standards Command will conduct their investigation process with the officers involved which is expected to take place from Sunday afternoon through to the late evening, into Monday morning.

“There were multiple police officers there and they did the best they could, the ranks ranging from constables through to acting sergeants,” Mr Leavers said.

“They did all they possibly could to try and preserve the life of the deceased person. This is just a tragedy.”

Mr Leavers said that support is being offered to the family of the deceased man.

“The victims here are the family members and the police officers involved,” he said.

“We don’t want to use firearms. They are a last resort.”