Senior Sergeant Perry Irwin Print Page

The seat commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Police Officer's death.  Senior Sergeant Perry Irwin, the officer-in-charge at the Caboolture station, died in August 2003 from gunshot wounds while investigating reports of a gunmen walking in bushland near Tallon Street, Caboolture.

On the morning of Friday 22 August 2003, Damien Lawrence Coates, 21 years old, was evicted by his father from the family dwelling after an argument. When leaving the house Coates boasted to his father that he intended to 'shoot down planes and shoot coppers'.

Senior Sergeant Irwin and two Constables arrived at the area to investigate the shots. During a search of the vicinity Senior Sergeant Irwin was walking up an incline into a clearing to get signal for his mobile phone when Coates who was partly hidden in a concrete pit ambushed the officer and fired a volley of shots. Although the officer was wearing a bullet proof vest one bullet struck the officer in the neck and another under the arm through the unprotected side of the vest killing him almost instantly. Mr Coates then fatally shot himself.

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