Man shot dead; officer injured after knife incident in Launceston

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A man has died after being shot in a confrontation with Tasmanian police in the Launceston CBD. Police say the man had a knife and was threatening members of the public.

Transcript

00:00At about 10 o'clock this morning, police responded to reports of an armed man threatening members

00:06of the public inside a business and on the street.

00:10Police say officers arrived at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the man who had

00:14a large knife.

00:15Now, initial investigations from the scene indicate that the man ignored repeated warnings

00:21by the police to disarm himself.

00:24They used capsicum spray, but police say the man continued to advance towards officers.

00:29A number of shots were then fired by two attending police officers and two of those shots hitting

00:36the armed man in the chest.

00:39Officers provided first aid at the scene and the man was taken to the Launceston General

00:42Hospital in a critical condition.

00:45Shortly after, he was pronounced dead.

00:47Lethal force for a police officer is the very last option, OK?

00:52This is not an outcome that we want to see.

00:54It's very tragic.

00:56A police officer received non-life-threatening injuries when a bullet fired by a colleague

01:00hit them in the cheek.

01:02A number of police officers have been stationed here at the crime scene at the Cornwall Square

01:06car park in the Launceston CBD.

01:09Police say there's no ongoing threat to the public.

01:12Police will conduct a professional standards investigation and a report will be prepared

01:16for the coroner.

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