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This Footage Of A Gunman's Mall Siege In Australia Shows Cops' Amazing Restraint
This Footage Of A Gunman's Mall Siege In Australia Shows Cops' Amazing Restraint
Ben WinsorAug 22, 2014, 01:01 IST
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.
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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.
