Mackay CBD gunman surrenders to police following area lockdown

The gunman who caused the partial shutdown of the Mackay CBD in central Queensland has surrendered. The man carried two riffled and fired shots into the air on Wednesday afternoon, prompting police to declare an emergency situation and lock down the area.

Witnesses told police that the man fired several shots into the air near a hotel on Gregory Street. He had two riffles with him.

Police were called around 5:20 p.m. to respond to reports of an armed man near in the area. They declared an exclusion zone at 5:45 p.m. between the boundary of River St and Wood St, Wood St and Gordon St, Gordon St to Macalister St and Macalister St to River St. It ended just before 8 p.m. after police negotiations with the 48-year-old man, who surrendered after that.

Detective Inspector Brendan Smith said the man was known to police. He said they believed that the man fired shots in the air to draw attention to himself and draw police into city. No person was injured.

Negotiators spent some time speaking with him. The gunman remained on the street for the entire incident. He surrendered peacefully following the negotiation.

“It’s a great result. No one’s been hurt. He’ll be taken to hospital for an assessment and we’ll decide after that what the next steps will be,” Smith was quoted by the ABC as saying. “A number of shots were fired earlier in the day and we believe that was his attempt to draw attention to himself.

His family helped provide information to the negotiators. The motive for the man’s behaviour remains unknown.