Man shot by police charged with attempted murder, arson
Laine Clark |
A man shot by police after allegedly confronting officers at a house fire has been charged with attempted murder.
The 39-year-old also faces an arson charge after the incident at a Wynnum West property in Brisbane’s east on Tuesday.
Three officers arrived at the Cabanda Street address about 9.20am, responding within minutes to reports of a fire.
The man was shot following an interaction with the officers, police said, and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The 39-year-old was holding a large shard of glass before becoming violent, Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said.
Multiple people were at the property at the time of the fire but no officers or other members of the public were injured during the incident.
A first-year constable was involved in the shooting, Mr Prior said, in what he believed was an example of the rising violence Queensland officers have faced in recent years.
Mr Prior claimed police felt like “punching bags” and were leaving the force more frequently than in previous generations in Queensland, Australia’s crime capital.
The Sunshine State had the nation’s most victims of crime for the second straight year in the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, with 289,449 ahead of NSW’s 262,465.
“Policing has never been as dangerous as it is right at this very moment,” Mr Prior told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old was shot in the backyard and taken to hospital where he is in a stable condition.
He has been charged with attempted murder and arson, and is expected to face a bedside hearing on Thursday.
The Ethical Standards Command is investigating the incident, which will be subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
AAP
