Inquest to examine conflicting accounts in Cairns police shooting of Indigenous man

An inquest into the death of Indigenous man Aubrey Joel Donahue will focus on conflicting accounts of whether police issued warnings before he was fatally shot. A specialist officer claims he repeatedly yelled "drop the knife" before firing, but the only civilian witness states no warnings were given. Donahue died from a single gunshot wound on March 25, 2023, after police stormed a home. The inquest, scheduled for ten days starting June 8 in Cairns, will also examine Donahue's release from custody for domestic violence in late 2022.