The grieving family of a man shot dead by police in Australia say they want answers and support after claiming the officers involved used excessive force.
Police in Queensland said Luke Gilbert, 24, approached officers and allegedly lunged at them with a pen knife before he was shot on a street in the early hours. It's understood five shots were fired by two officers in total.
Luke and his younger brother, Zac, together with their parents, Nicola and Darren Gilbert, moved to Perth in Western Australia from Abbey Hey in Gorton, Manchester, when he was five. He went to Abbey Hey Primary School before they emigrated. Family back home in Manchester have spoken of their anguish and shock - and claimed Australian police weren't doing enough to help them.
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Zac, Luke's brother, meanwhile said police 'didn't try the taser, the baton or the pepper spray first, they went straight for the guns carelessly'. Luke's aunt Gina O'Mara, from Boarshaw, Middleton, said the family were desperate for answers.
Luke lived in Perth but had been travelling for five months, camping most weekends, and was on a night out with his girlfriend in the town of Airlie Beach, Queensland, when the incident happened in the early hours of last Saturday morning. According to a police union official in Queensland, Luke - who had been living in Townsville in Queensland, where he was working as a cabinet maker - pulled a knife out from his hoodie and threatened the officers, who then fired their guns.
The family said they were baffled by what has happened. Gina, 49, said: "As a family we are desperate for any answers. That is not the person Luke was.
"He was a lovely person, he was travelling and full of life. People loved him. Everybody knew him and loved him. The family are not being told anything directly from the police. They have had no liaison at all. You don't just go from sitting in a pub having a good night to being shot dead in 10 minutes."
Gina said Luke, who also leaves behind a teenage sister, Katie, had met up with his girlfriend and they were having drinks. "The only information that we have got is that she says they were having a good night and he was in good spirits. Everything was fine.
"She has gone to the bathroom or to get a drink and he has gone outside for a smoke. When he did not come back in she rings his mobile and did not get a reply. Then she has gone outside and seen what has happened. He was shot dead outside."
It's understood the officers involved gave first aid but Luke was rushed to Proserpine Hospital, where he was declared dead. Gina, whose sister is Luke's mum, said: "As a family, we are just desperate for answers. They are getting no support and no help.
"I do not know where to begin. It has been such a shock. There are lots of family over here and Luke has been over a few times to visit. Luke has had an autopsy this morning. He has been shot three times in the chest and one of them has gone right through him. They fired five times and two bullets have gone through car windows nearby.
"There is obviously going to be an internal inquiry but this was a lovely lad. He was 4,000km away from his mum. They sent two police officers to her house and did not even tell her that he had been shot by police. They gave her a card and told her to ring a coroner on Monday morning.
"We have heard some conflicting accounts and don't know what to make of them. There is one report that says he approached them and for reasons unknown, he has taken out a knife and lunged at the officers.
"In another report, he has run across a road at them with a knife. The knife that they are talking about is a fishing knife, like a penknife that we would use for camping. We just do not know what to believe. There are so many sides to this story but the biggest one is how the family have been treated in the aftermath. I just want to try and get my family some kind of support.
"Even if he had some sort of mental episode, to use lethal force like this...it seems odd."
In a Facebook post Luke's brother, Zac, said all they know is reports that 'for reasons unknown' he pulled out a four centimetre-long penknife and 'in reaction to that, the officers shot four to five times at my brother'. He said: "There's a lot of speculation in the media about the circumstances surrounding the loss of my brother but just know the truth is excess force was used on him which killed him and that can never be undone.
"They [the police] didn't try the taser, the baton or the pepper spray first, they went straight for the guns carelessly. Life will never be the same. He deserved a lot better than this. I cant believe this has happened."
A GoFundMe appeal has been launched to support the family.
According to reports in Australia, the Queensland Police Union said officers had no choice but to shoot after he allegedly lunged at them after he had been told to drop the weapon. They reportedly said Luke was talking to the officers before he suddenly produced the knife and began making threats,
Ian Leavers, from Queensland Police Union, was quoted as saying: "The police have tried to further engage and they have retreated and moved from that location, and tried and continue to communicate with that male person.
"He has then, at a point, lunged at police and they've had no other alternative but to use their firearm. Police did all they could to try and resolve this matter peacefully."
The Manchester Evening News contacted police in Queensland for further comment. The force said there was no further update and it would be inappropriate to provide further commentary as 'the matter was now before a coroner'.
In a statement, they said: "A man aged in his 20s and allegedly armed with a knife was fatally shot by police in Airlie Beach this morning (October 1). Preliminary investigations indicate around 12.20am police were in Shute Harbour Road when they were approached by the man.
"The man allegedly threatened officers advancing on them and was subsequently shot. Officers immediately rendered first aid to the man who was transported to Proserpine Hospital but he was declared deceased a short time later. A crime scene has been established in Shute Harbour Road and investigations are continuing.
"The incident is under investigation by the Ethical Standards Command on behalf of the State Coroner, and is subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission."
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