Alleged gunman to face bedside hearing after Surfers Paradise shooting
A TOP police officer has put armed thugs on notice after one of her officers shot a gunman during an encounter next-door to Gold Coast police headquarters.
A TOP police officer has put armed thugs on notice after cops shot a gunman during an encounter next-door to Gold Coast police headquarters.
At least one officer opened fire when the man allegedly pulled a gun on them at the Solaire building, beside Surfers Paradise Police Centre in Ferny Avenue.
Residents of the building called police early yesterday morning after becoming suspicious of a vehicle in the basement.
A male and a female constable arrived at the carpark about 1.30am and began questioning a 27-year-old man.
A staff member at the building said they understood the suspect then ran to the bottom of the secure three-level car park.
The chase came to a head when the man allegedly pulled a gun and was shot once in each leg.
The female officer aged in her 40s received grazes to her leg during the confrontation.
Nearby residents said they heard several shots. It was not clear if the gunman discharged his weapon or whether one, or both, officers shot the man.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the pair immediately provided first aid to the alleged gunman which could have saved him from dying of blood loss.
Superintendent Michelle Stenner said the officers involved had shown “miraculous courage and bravery” and sent out a warning to armed criminals.
“If you want to play Russian roulette, which is basically what they’re doing by arming themselves with these weapons, then they must realise we are kitted with lethal force options and we have them at our disposal if we feel that our lives are threatened,” she said.
Claire Glidden said she woke to the sound of “loud pops” across the road from her apartment on Cyprus Ave.
“I heard noises but I would have never thought they were gunshots, there was definitely more than one (shot) but I couldn’t say how many,” she said.
“There was all this shouting and barking and all these police putting on their vests.”
About a half an hour after the shooting Ms Glidden she said she saw paramedics wheel the alleged gunman into the back of the ambulance.
She said police entered the ambulance and escorted the man to Gold Coast University Hospital.
He was out of surgery by 9am and in a stable condition.
“They had a blanket over him. I couldn’t really see what he looked like,” Ms Glidden said.
“I guess the police didn’t have far to go, there was just car after car arriving.
“The whole block was surrounded by police keeping people back.”
The shooting is being investigated by the Ethical Standards Command.
Because of this police would not reveal how many shots were fired, who fired them or what kind of weapon the man had.
Police body cameras recorded the incident.
Supt Stenner said it was “the worst scenario our officers could be confronted with”.
“They have shown miraculous courage and bravery in the way they have responded to this threat,” she said.
“They have deployed what force they had available to them.”
Supt Stenner said the prevalence of firearms on the Gold Coast was worrying.
“It is constantly on our minds as officers trained to deal with these things. It is something you hope you never have to engage with,” she said.
Police said the alleged gunman will have a bedside hearing today and is expected to be charged with a number of offences including serious assault, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
Gold Coast gun crimes and shootings involving police
January 22, 2017: Police shoot a 26-year-old man shot in the leg after altercation in Surfers Paradise building car park. Police will allege the man pulled a gun on them.
January 7, 2017: A 33-year-old man presents to the Gold Coast University Hospital with a gunshot wound to the face. Two men are charged over the shooting, allegedly after a drug deal gone wrong.
December 26, 2016: Isaac Wensley and his father Raymond Wensley are shot outside their Pimpama home about 5.15pm. Isaac suffers serious damage to his eyes, while Raymond receives a groin injury.
December 2, 2016: Jason Boyd is shot dead at a Carrara home after an all-night party.
November 1, 2016: Shots are fired into a Reedy Creek bakery on Kingsmore Blvd.
October 3, 2016: Police discharge their weapons and kill a family pet that attacked a police dog during a domestic incident at Coomera.
August 25, 2016: Man driving southbound on the M1 at Coomera when his car is hit by a bullet. He was uninjured.
August 25, 2016: Bullets are fired into a house on Felling Drv at Maudsland. No one is hurt.
August 22, 2016: Gabriel Orchard, 43, is allegedly shot by his ex-partner at a Labrador home. Linda Annette Currie, 48, is charged with murder.
July 25, 2016: Gold Coast father Angelo Raguz is shot in the stomach when he disturbs a would-be thief in his daughter’s car at his Gilston home. He makes a full recovery after a lengthy surgery.
June 24, 2016: Mermaid Waters home peppered with bullets in the early hours. No-one is hurt.
May 11, 2016: Man shot in the shoulder at a Southport address. Police say the two men involved are known to each other.
March 22, 2016: Woman allegedly shoots at her son-in-law at a Nerang home during a heated family dispute. She misses, but police allege she fired the weapon five times.
February 24, 2016: A 22-year-old man is allegedly shot in the stomach and thigh after answering a knock on the door at his Southport unit. The man undergoes emergency surgery, but survives.
December 6, 2015: Former Big Brother contestant Sam Wallace is allegedly shot in a restaurant car park at Merrimac. The shooting is alleged to be over a love triangle. Mr Wallace makes a full recovery after time in hospital.
September 10, 2015: Karina Lock is shot dead by her estranged husband at Helensvale McDonalds. Stephen Lock then turns the gun on himself, in front of horrified onlookers.
August 21, 2015: Man shot in the abdomen at the Mantra Crown Towers in Surfers Paradise. He survives.
May 17, 2015: Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley and Senior Constable Barry Wellington allegedly discharge a police firearm during a police chase through Pacific Pines. No one is hit by the projectiles.
November 24, 2014: Troy Foster, 32, is shot dead by police after he allegedly lunged at officers armed with a knife at a Southport address.
April 28, 2012: Former Mongols bikie Mark James Graham shoots at former Bandido rival Jacques Teamo in the middle of a packed Robina Town Centre. Teamo is hit in the arm and an innocent shopper is hit in the hip.
May 29, 2011: Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding is shot in the face responding to an armed robbery at the Pacific Pines Tavern. He died two days later in hospital.
December 4, 2010: Hylton Miller is shot after two gunshots are fired from a Surfers Paradise high-rise. Accused “Surfers Paradise sniper” Rick El Masri is acquitted in May 2014.
Mr Miller survived, but underwent multiple surgeries, he took his own life in 2015.
Originally published as Alleged gunman to face bedside hearing after Surfers Paradise shooting
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