Man charged with attempted murder after Canberra Hospital shooting
A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after allegedly firing a police officer's gun while under guard at Canberra Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
The 26-year-old Chisholm man is facing 10 charges relating to the incident at the hospital's emergency department and a serious crash earlier on Wednesday, in which he allegedly crashed a stolen car and injured two people on Yamba Drive in Mawson.
He is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday morning, charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, discharging a fiream endangering life and attempt to escape from custody or arrest in relation to the incident at the hospital, which happened about 4pm on Wednesday.
The hospital's emergency department went into lockdown after the incident, in which one witness reported hearing people rushing down a hallway as about five shots rang out and a man made threats.
Police said officers disarmed and restrained the man, with no members of the public or hospital staff injured.
They would not confirm reports that a Taser was used to subdue the man.
Acting Superintendent Marcus Boorman told media outside the hospital that it was too soon to say exactly how the man had come to have a police officer's gun, or whether action would be taken against the officer whose gun was taken.
"Any incident of this nature is concerning," he said.
"We will obviously look into all our procedures, but it's too early to speculate.
"It would be inappropriate to speculate, and at the end of the investigation, it will all be revealed."
Officers from the Australian Federal Police professional standards division were at the hospital on Wednesday night and will oversee the investigation.
Speaking outside the hospital on Wednesday night, Canberra Hospital deputy director-general Chris Bone reassured patients that they should still feel safe coming to the hospital and that no level of violence in the emergency department was acceptable.
The incident caused minor damage to parts of the emergency department, which remained closed.
The 26-year-old man is also charged with attempted robbery, driving a motor vehicle without consent, two counts of culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm and unlicensed driving.
Police will allege he was behind the wheel of a stolen car that crashed in Mawson, injuring two other people on Wednesday.
He was under police guard as a result of that incident before the alleged hospital shooting.