A man has died after being shot in a confrontation with Tasmanian police in the Launceston CBD. Police say the man had a knife and was threatening members of the public.
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00:00At about 10 o'clock this morning, police responded to reports of an armed man threatening members
00:06of the public inside a business and on the street.
00:10Police say officers arrived at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the man who had
00:14a large knife.
00:15Now, initial investigations from the scene indicate that the man ignored repeated warnings
00:21by the police to disarm himself.
00:24They used capsicum spray, but police say the man continued to advance towards officers.
00:29A number of shots were then fired by two attending police officers and two of those shots hitting
00:36the armed man in the chest.
00:39Officers provided first aid at the scene and the man was taken to the Launceston General
00:42Hospital in a critical condition.
00:45Shortly after, he was pronounced dead.
00:47Lethal force for a police officer is the very last option, OK?
00:52This is not an outcome that we want to see.
00:54It's very tragic.
00:56A police officer received non-life-threatening injuries when a bullet fired by a colleague
01:00hit them in the cheek.
01:02A number of police officers have been stationed here at the crime scene at the Cornwall Square
01:06car park in the Launceston CBD.
01:09Police say there's no ongoing threat to the public.
01:12Police will conduct a professional standards investigation and a report will be prepared
01:16for the coroner.