AUSTRALIAN POLICE SHOOT VAN DRIVER DEAD
POLICE swarmed a Brisbane street late last night after an officer shot and killed the driver of a van who had allegedly been acting suspiciously.
The man later died of his wounds at the scene.A resident told the Seven Network she heard last night's events from her home, including a man saying "I'm going to kill you", and a screech of tyres.
At an early morning news conference, Chief Superintendant Clem O'Regan confirmed that police on patrol drove into O Loan St at Yeerongpilly around 10pm, saw a van parked at a strange angle to the kerb and went to investigate.
"When they got out of their vehicle to speak to the driver, he drove at them," Superintendent O'Regan said.
He said one of the officers drew his firearm and fired twice, apparently striking the driver as he attempted to leave the scene. He said the officers called for back-up and paramedics shortly afterwards when the van crashed through a fence and into a house in nearby Grosvenor St.
Superintendent O'Regan said the officers involved had been very traumatised by the incident. "One officer has sustained injuries and has been taken to hospital and the other is helping with the investigation."
"Having to use your firearm on duty is every officer's nightmare," he said.
"I am upset at the tragic death and feel sorry for the officer who had to take this action." The Police Ethical Standards Command, the Crime and Misconduct Commission and the Coroner will investigate the fatal shooting.
According to one neighbour, a man in his 30s who declined to be named, there were two gunshots before a loud crash about 10.10pm last night.
"I could hear people yelling," the neighbour said. "You could hear the desperation in one of the voices calling for an ambulance. It was horrible.
"I've never seen police attend a scene so fast. They just swarmed in. You could hear them coming from miles away. There were just detectives and unmarked cars everywhere." Queensland Police Union's Dennis Fitzpatrick said no officer would want something like this to happen.
"It's the fear of every officer," he said. Mr Fitzpatrick said one officer had sustained "substantial injuries as a result of being struck by this vehicle".
"This is the second shooting-related incident out here involving police in three days," he said, referring to an earlier shooting at the Oxley Golf Club.
Police later said one of the officers involved received hospital treatment for bruising to his leg and had been released.
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