Fatal Police Shooting Tragically Happens Six Years To The Day That Damian Leeding Was Killed On The Job

'We've lost a fine son.'


Article heading image for Fatal Police Shooting Tragically Happens Six Years To The Day That Damian Leeding Was Killed On The Job

Queensland police are mourning the death of one of their colleagues, tragically on the memorial day for slain Gold Coast officer Damian Leeding.

Six years to the day since Leeding was killed in the line of duty, Toowoomba Senior Constable Brett Forte was fatally shot by a "wanted man" he was attempting to pull over in the Lockyer Valley on Monday afternoon.

Police were continuing to negotiate with the gunman on Tuesday morning, who has been holed up in a farm shed for more than 14 hours. The large exclusion zone covers about 14km of Ringwood, dozens of residents living in the zone were blocked from getting home late last night and are still unable to get through.

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Police sources say the wanted man, who is believed to be armed with a machine gun, got out of his car during the chase and shot Forte before driving down a dirt road at Seventeen Mile.

Forte's partner was also injured while attempting to reverse their police vehicle as the gunman shot at it, the car ended up crashing and rolling off the road.

Forte, who served with QPS for more than 15 years, leaves behind his wife and two young kids.

"We've lost a fine son today," Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said at a press conference on Monday night.

"Today is a very very sad day for Queensland police, our condolences and thoughts and love are with his family and of course his colleagues."

May 29 is certainly a very dark day for the QPS, the service losing their last officer on the same day back in 2011.

Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding was shot in the face while responding to an armed robbery at the Pacific Pines Tavern.

29 May 2017




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