Police in shooting were in danger: union
Two police officers who shot dead a man on Queensland's Sunshine Coast faced imminent danger and could have been killed themselves, the police union says.
Police shot the 51-year-old in the chest after he allegedly lunged at them with a weapon on a suburban street on Sunday afternoon, as numerous adults and children looked on.
It's the second fatal police shooting in less than a week.
Officers were called to Tewantin after residents reported a domestic dispute and a man smashing up a house and cars on Outlook Drive.
Police union president Ian Leavers said the two officers were forced to make a split-second decision to protect themselves.
"There was no time whatsoever. As they were getting out of the car everything unfolded immediately," he told ABC radio.
"We are very lucky we are not hearing about the death of a police officer. They made an instantaneous decision with a view to defending their lives."
Police at the scene of a fatal shooting in Tewantin.
Queensland police are still interviewing witnesses and will return to the house to gather evidence on Monday.
Acting Superintendent John Bosnjak said there was a large number of people to be interviewed, including relatives of the dead NSW man, neighbours and onlookers.
The incident had been traumatic for all involved, including the dead man's family and police, he said.
"No one comes to work wanting this. You do train for it, but it's obviously something you don't want."
He wouldn't comment on the man's weapon, but said: "The incident was quite confronting, from my understanding, and it's a matter we'll put before the coroner."
One local resident was shocked and confused by the shooting.
"This is just another unnecessary death really," the man, who didn't want to be named, told ABC radio.
"Why can't they use rubber bullets or something. Why do they have to kill them?"
The shooting was the third fatal incident involving police in two months.
On November 18, a man was fatally shot at Kippa-Ring, north of Brisbane, allegedly after lunging at officers with a knife.
And in September, officers shot dead a gunman after he allegedly threatened them during a lengthy stand-off at an Inala unit block in Brisbane.
Mr Leavers said the officers - a senior constable with a decade of experience, and a first-year constable - had no option but to fire.
They were confronted by a man behaving in a violent manner, who came at them as their patrol car was coming to a stop.
"There was no time for negotiation or to be able to do anything else. They were in fear of their lives," Mr Leavers told the ABC.
There was some public confusion about whether the man had a knife, a hammer or a sword, but he couldn't clarify this due to the pending coronial investigation.
Mr Leavers said no amount of additional training for police could have altered what occurred on Sunday.
He also defended the decision not to use a Taser, saying If both prongs had failed to hit the man it wouldn't have been effective, leaving the officers in ongoing danger.
Civil libertarians say there needs to be an independent inquiry into five police shootings over the past eight months. Three have been fatal.
Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman says an independent probe into a spate of police shootings in Victoria had resulted in a range of reforms, including more rigorous police training.
