Retired police officer Peter Marr recounts Rundle St siege on May 10 1976

“Just stop, put the gun down, come out into the street ... nothing is going to happen to you.” Retired officer Peter Marr was the first to confront a Rundle St gunman in 1976 – and his bravery stunned the top cop of the day.

Hambly-Clark gun shop siege in Rundle Street, Adelaide, May 10 1976. This picture of the dramatic scene was taken by reader Mr J. A. Shaw, of Clarence Park, seconds before a police sniper fired on the gunman (Michael Leo O'Connor, pictured at right). The flare in the foreground is a tear gas canister bursting against a parked car.

Policeman Peter Marr’s confrontation with a rampaging gunman was a display of bravery so awe-inspiring that later that day, an emotional police commissioner pushed him into his seat and saluted him.

The senior constable, who is now retired, had just dropped off three police cadets at the RAA building on Grenfell St when he says “all hell broke loose” three streets away in Rundle St.

Michael Leo O’Connor, 43, had walked into the Hambly-Clark gun shop on May 10, 1976 just after 11am, grabbed a shotgun from the rack and loaded his own ammunition.

Staff tried to intervene but the weapon was pointed at their faces.

The police car radio crackled: “Is there any patrol in the area of Rundle St, we’ve got a man taken over Hambly-Clark gun store with a firearm”.

Mr Marr, now aged 73, was the only officer to answer the call.

Minutes later, he approached the shop unarmed, noticing the front door just ajar.

SA police officer First Class Constable K. P. (Peter) Marr, only metres from the armed man, pleads with him to give himself up. Constable Marr, unarmed, was the first on the scene and cleared the area of people before talking to the gunman.

“I said: ‘Just stop, put the gun down, come out into the street and just put your hands up. Nothing is going to happen to you. Come to me’,” he said.

“(O’Connor) was swearing at me the whole time. He’s holding the double barrelled shotgun and brought it up and just blew the glass out, then fired another shot through the hole.” Hundreds of shoppers ran for cover.

“In the meantime, a chap from Super Eilliotts Sports Store, which was just down the road, came up and threw me a double barrel shotgun.

“There was no warning, but I saw the gun come up and I ducked down behind a car,” Mr Marr said.

“I saw him move to a rack and he picked up a rifle. I took shelter behind a car that belonged to someone from Waikerie.

“I had that down out of sight and I didn’t use it. I could have, but I didn’t want to go there. This was being broadcast live on TV, my wife was watching from home and she didn’t know it was me.”

After futile attempts to talk O’Connor into surrender, Mr Marr retreated, while officers from the armed offenders squad moved in about 11.40am.

About 40 minutes later, gas canisters were fired into the shop. O’Connor exited through the front door, and started walking west towards Pulteney St,a shotgun in each hand.

Police shouted at him to drop the guns, but O’Connor lifted the weapons just above hip level and pointed them at officers.

A single shot – fired by police sniper John Ramsden from a first-floor window about 100m away – struck O’Connor in the stomach and he plummeted to the ground.

Police swarm the scene after the gunman was shot by a sniper.

“When he lifted the gun up at the other bloke’s John had to make that decision. And he made the right decision. He shot him and he went down,” Mr Marr said.

“We came around and he was on the ground, he was loaded into the ambulance and I was directed to ride with the offender.”

He died at 12.35pm – about five minutes after he arrived at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Mr Marr was then “marched in” to Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury’s office, where “there was this great monster desk”.

“Harold got up, took me by the arm and marched me back to his seat and sat me in it,” he said. “He went back and stood to attention and addressed me. It was awesome, I was in awe, I’d been through a lot that day. And he was quite emotional too, he said he’d been watching it unfold on television. He said he’d recommend me for the George Cross Medal.”

The Advertiser front page on May 11, 1976.

However, two-and-a-half years later, Mr Marr was presented with an honourable mention for his bravery.

“I was just one of those unfortunate police officers that wherever I went, if it was going to happen, it was going to happen when I was there,” he said.

“But you don’t do anything for medals.”

A few months after the siege – an incident that prompted the creation of police response team STAR Group – Mr Marr moved into the traffic safety section and initiated a popular children’s safety awareness campaign.

With the help of his wooden friend, Alister, Mr Marr toured schools across the state educating children on road safety – a world apart from dodging bullets. “I loved the job,” he said.

Mr Marr, with puppet Alister, in his next job teaching children about road safety.

Retired police officer Peter Marr with Alister the puppet in 2019. Picture: AAP / Morgan Sette

And although not as exciting, it is the work he is most proud of, living a dream until retirement in 2000.

“I loved the job,” he said.

“Servicemen and women stepping up to the plate, we’re seeing that today across our nation.

“When it’s all over award them and don’t forget them.”

Originally published as Retired police officer Peter Marr recounts Rundle St siege on May 10 1976