SA Police STAR Group shoots man dead at Forestville MICHAEL MILNES, DOUG ROBERTSON, TOM ZED ADELAIDENOW SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 3:20PM SHARE expand Share on facebook YOUR FRIENDS ACTIVITY NEW! Discover news with your friends. Give it a try. To get going, simply connect with your favourite social network: Facebook Ads By Google Cholesterol StudyLooking for People with Cardiovascular Disease. Learn more.clinlife.au/High_Cholesterol Forestville shooting STAR Group officers shot a man dead after a collision with his vehicle on Leah St, Forestville. Pic: Greg Higgs Source: AdelaideNow < PrevNext >•••••• HEAVILY-armed members of the STAR Group shot a violent armed robber dead last night after he twice pointed a shotgun at them during a chase. Paul James Quinn, 31, died after he was hit by two bullets fired from a police pistol during a confrontation in the front yard of a house on Norman Tce, Forestville. Quinn, who had an extensive criminal history, was suspected of being involved in the armed hold-up of the Royal Oak Hotel last Friday night with a shotgun. Quinn is believed to have walked into the OConnell St hotel and threatened staff with the gun before jumping the counter and stealing money from a cash register. He was wearing dark clothes and a balaclava, and fled the area in a stolen silver Toyota Soarer sedan. An alert was issued for the Toyota, which was seen last night - triggering a city-wide hunt by police patrols, including members of the STAR Group. A high-speed chase began when the Toyota was seen by an uniformed patrol on Dequetteville Tce at 8.18pm. Quinn was chased until the patrol abandoned the pursuit because of the danger to the public. Members of the public then called police when they saw the Toyota being driven at speed through red traffic lights near Thebarton. Another chase began, with road spikes put out across a road. Quinn refused to stop even though his two front tyres were blown out. The chase ended when Quinns car was rammed by a Toyota LandCruiser containing members of the STAR Group on Leah St, Forestville, near the tram crossing. Quinn then pointed a shotgun at the police before jumping a high gate and fleeing into a nearby property on Norman Tce. The STAR Group officers followed him into the property, where he was confronted in its front yard. Quinn was shot twice with a .9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol after refusing to drop his shotgun. Witnesses tell of terror Mother-of-two Sarah Cooper, who lives next door to the shooting scene, said she and her partner were watching television when they heard the gunshots. We grabbed the kids and got down real low and heard someone yelling out to get down, Ms Cooper said. Then we saw cops running with a gun, I was freaking out I was worried for my kids. The kids were in a bunk bed right next to the window (of the neighbours yard). We grabbed them and got down really low. The shots were pretty loud, it was over in about 10 seconds, then there were cops everywhere. We looked through the lounge room window and actually saw someone laying down in the neighbours front yard with a sheet over them. Her partner, Shannon Cross, said he heard what may have been a crash in the distance. Then we heard gunshots ... doosh, doosh. I looked out the window and saw a guy with a gun walking down the path, Mr Cross said. I didnt know it was a cop at the time, I just saw a dude with a gun and flipped out. Then we locked all the doors and then we looked out the window and saw cops everywere, so we knew it was secure. Mr Cross said their neighbours had only moved in recently. Resident Darryl Mell, who lives opposite the shooting scene, gave a dramatic account of the incident which unfolded outside his home at 9.30pm. I was sitting in my lounge room and heard the (police) four wheel drive run into another car and I came running out just in time to see the bloke get out of the silver car and run into the yard of the house, he said. The STAR Group (officers) jumped out of the 4WD and went after him. I heard a lot of yelling. People yelling get down, get down! Then I heard bang, bang and the place was just full of cops within seconds. Police sealed off streets in the area immediately after the shooting. The police helicopter circled the area and officers in bulletproof vests stood guard over several streets that were sealed off. Senior police hail officers Deputy Commissioner Gary Burns told a media conference that police had sympathy for Quinns relatives and did not want to be involved in shootings. Apart from his death, our officers are involved and its traumatic for them, Mr Burns said. From the information Ive been provided, the Star Group officers acted courageously and were dedicated. They followed a person who had twice levelled a firearm at them before the final confrontation. Police entered through a side gate where they were confronted by a man with a shotgun. Two shots were fired by police and subsequently that person died at the scene. Lengthy criminal record Quinn, formerly of Salisbury and Brahma Lodge, had a long criminal history, with several convictions for armed robbery. He was on parole after being convicted in 2008 of possessing equipment to commit an offence. Court documents show Quinn was sentenced to five years and eight months jail with an 18-month non-parole period. Quinn pleaded guilty in 2003 to stealing more than $27,000 from the Commonwealth Bank at Gawler and was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison. In March 1999, Quinn pleaded guilty in the District Court to one count of burglary, several unrelated driving offences and breaches of bond. He was sentenced to five years and two months in jail, with a non-parole period of 15 months. Quinn was found not guilty of the armed robbery of a McDonalds restaurant at Pooraka with two other men in January 1998. SA Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Burns said today Elizabeth police had been actively looking for Quinn since an arrest warrant was issued six weeks ago for breaching his parole conditions. Major Crime detectives will investigate his shooting with a report to be sent to Police Commissioner Mal Hyde.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 09:33:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015