The Queensland police service says officers have shot and killed a man in Townsville after they allege he moved towards them with a machete and a knife.
Police were called to reports of a man armed with multiple weapons on The Strand and intersecting McKinley Street in Townsville’s North Ward just before 10am on Saturday, the QPS said.
Police said the man was shot in the chest and despite immediate medical attention was declared dead at the scene.
The force said initial information indicated the man advanced towards police while armed before he was shot.
Supt Chris Lawson said the man was armed with a machete and knife the officers arrived on the scene.
“As a result of the confrontation that occurred, that male person was shot,” Lawson told reporters on Saturday afternoon.
“He’s now deceased, and Queensland police service are conducting investigations to establish exactly what has occurred.”
The investigation by the force’s Ethical Standards Command will be overseen by the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission, police said.
Lawson said Queensland police training allowed officers to use lethal force if they feared death or grievous bodily harm, to themselves or someone else.
“Part of the ongoing investigation by the Ethical Standards Command will be to establish and ensure that that has occurred,” he said.
Lawson said police were yet to notify the man’s family.
“This matter today will obviously serve as a stark reminder that the job that the police do every day across our state is dangerous and on occasions we are called to use lethal force,” he said.
Lawson said he could not disclose “any of the particulars” of the incident “because obviously it’s still very raw”.
He would not say which street the man was shot on, how many shots were fired, how many officers were involved, or whether they used a Taser before shooting him with a gun.
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Lawson said police were yet to determine the man’s age and whether he was from Townsville.
“There’s a lot of unknowns at this point,” he said.
Last month, police said they shot a 17-year-old girl in the abdomen at a pub in Townsville’s West End.
Police said they were called to the hotel on Ingham Road just before 5.30pm on 10 June following reports a 17-year-old girl armed with a knife was making threats.
Police alleged the teenager armed with the knife came at police. They said they immediately provided first aid and she was taken to hospital for treatment.
She has reportedly been charged with assaulting a police officer.
No officers or members of the public were physically injured during the incident, police said.
