A police officer injured in a fatal shootout in South Australia could soon be discharged from hospital.
Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig, Sergeant Michael Hutchinson and Constable Rebekah Cass were on a routine assignment to a rural property in Senior, near the Victorian border, about 11.20pm on Thursday to investigate an incident involving the use of a firearm.
They were confronted by an armed man who fatally shot Sgt Doig, 53, a police veteran of 34 years.
Sgt Hutchinson, 59, was also shot and taken to Adelaide for treatment.
Constable Cass, 31, was uninjured.
The male suspect, 26, was shot by police and sustained serious injuries. He remains under guard at Flinders Medical Centre, with police on Saturday confirming his condition was still life-threatening.
SA Police Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams told reporters that Sgt Hutchinson underwent surgery on Friday and remained under observation.
"He is likely to be discharged sometime over the weekend or early next week," she said.
Ms Williams said the force was not reconsidering how its officers approached dangerous situations.
The shootout would still be subject to a review, but on the face of it, the officers appeared to conduct themselves in an exemplary manner and followed appropriate operational safety protocols, the deputy commissioner said.
The shootout was the second incident to plunge the SA policing family into mourning on Friday, with the state's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens later learning his 18-year-old son Charlie was involved in an alleged hit-run in Goolwa, about 90km southeast of Adelaide.
Charlie sustained an irreversible brain injury and remains on life support in hospital.
Police said the 18-year-old driver failed to stop at the scene but was found nearby.
He was charged with causing harm by dangerous driving, aggravated driving without due care, leaving the scene of a serious crash and failing to truthfully answer questions.
