This Footage Of A Gunman's Mall Siege In Australia Shows Cops' Amazing Restraint
Protests and violence sparked by the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, have sparked a national debate about the use of lethal force by police.
This tense CCTV footage from a 2013 standoff in Brisbane, Australia, shows the impressive restraint of police officers in other jurisdictions.
The FBI gives a rough estimate that in 2011, cops in America killed 404 suspects in acts of "justifiable homicide."
By comparison, just six people were killed by police in Australia over the same period. Police in England and Wales killed only two people, and German police killed six.
In the footage, 35-year-old Lee Matthew Hiller is seen waving a handgun in Brisbane's central mall.
Police mounted on bicycles are first on the scene.
Police lock down the mall, which sees 26 million visitors annually, and evacuate terrified shoppers and staff.
Clearly mentally disturbed, Hiller walks around the mall gripping a handgun while police scramble to maintain lines of sight.
At one point, Hiller holds the handgun to his head and mimes shooting at police with outstretched fingers.
The siege lasts 90 minutes before tactical officers shoot Hiller with non-lethal rounds.
A psychiatric report stated Hiller had an anti-social personality disorder and was attempting "suicide by cop."
At Hiller's trial, Judge Terry Martin praised the professionalism, courage, and restraint of the police involved.
The judge acknowledged the father of three had endured a disadvantaged life and was battling with severe drug addiction. The court sentenced Hiller to 4.5 years in jail. The gun was found not to be loaded.
Watch the full video here:
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market