A 57-year-old Australian police officer has been shot dead on a rural property in Tasmania while serving a warrant to repossess a home, say police.
The officer had arrived at a house in North Motton, near the town of Ulverstone, on Monday morning when he was fired at by “a member of the public”, Tasmania Police said in a statement.
A second police officer returned fire, injuring the suspect’s hand. The suspect surrendered and later received treatment in hospital, police said.
Deadly shootings remain rare in Australia, which has strict gun laws.
Following Monday’s shooting a crime scene was established in North Motton and the coroner was notified, a police spokesperson said, adding that “there is no ongoing threat to the public”.
“The safety of our officers is our number one priority, and to see an officer tragically killed in those circumstances is truly shocking,” Police Commissioner Donna Adams told reporters later on Monday.
“We know that policing can be risky, but we expect every officer to finish their shift and come home back to their families.”
The police are not naming the officer out of respect for his family, as some family members have yet to be informed of his death, Ms Adams said.
She described him as a “genuine, dependable police officer” who served the community for 25 years.
He had been accompanied by a “senior and experienced sergeant” on Monday morning to “serve a court-approved warrant to repossess a home”, Ms Adams said.
She added that the officer had been shot while making his way from his car to the front of the house. She also praised his colleague, who managed to call for assistance while “in a situation of danger and peril”.
Investigations of the incident are underway, Ms Adams said.
Police also said that well-being support was being provided to those involved and affected.
In a statement, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff called the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy”.
To everyone who had the honour of knowing this officer, especially his family and his colleagues… the love of an entire state is with you today.”
Shootings are relatively rare in Australia, which introduced some of the world’s strictest firearm regulations after 35 people were killed in a massacre by a lone gunman at Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996.
Additional reporting by Koh Ewe.