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The Herald, December 27, 1979
NEARBY residents were recovering yesterday from the shock of what they called the siege of Fife Avenue Mall on Christmas night.
A white gunman was shot and wounded by a police marksman and another white man was shot dead during the three-hour siege.
“I’ve not experienced anything like that since my time in Britain during the last war,” said Mrs Steve Judge, who lives almost opposite the Carvery Restaurant, Fife Avenue Mall, Salisbury, where the shooting took place.
She and her married daughter, Mrs Alice Gill, with Mrs Gill’s 21-month-old daughter, Alexandra, lay flat on their kitchen floor while trying to escape clouds of tear gas carried by the wind from the nearby restaurant.
Mrs Gill, whose husband is away on call-up, said she phoned the police after hearing several short bursts of automatic about 5 pm.
“We were certainly worried by the intermittent bursts of firing from the Mall but it was the tear gas that finished us,” said Mr Bishop.
“Our evening was made a shambles and, after we learnt that the man had been arrested, we all went straight to bed with splitting headaches from the gas.”
Police yesterday declined to name the 27-year-old gunman who was shot in the arm by the marksman and is being held under guard at Andrew Fleming Hospital.
The gunman was shot after he had thrown away his FN self-loading rifle and was walking towards Police, who had cordoned off the area.
A police statement said the man was wounded after he made a suspicious movement with his left hand.
The Police sent in their crack Emergency Squad, similar to the American SWAT team, to take control of the siege.
According to Police at the scene, the gunman had been sitting on the steps leading to the first-floor restaurant from about 4 pm. Witnesses reported that he was acting as if he was in a distressed state of mind.
Police think that if the man had been calmed down at that time, the shooting would have not happened.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Putting a firearm out of sight or out of reach is not safe storage and not enough to prevent use by children or unauthorised adults.
- The effects of firearm violence extend beyond victims and their families.
- Shooting incidents, including those in public places such as homes, schools and shopping areas, can affect the sense of safety and security of entire communities and impact everyday decisions.
- Hide from a shooter or shooters only if you must. Choose solid objects for hiding spots such as a tree, concrete barrier, building, or locked rooms in a building (example, locked classrooms), and bring others with you.
- If you are hiding, do not leave your safety zone until it is safe. More than likely, this will involve an evacuation event with police and first-responders coming to aid you and others.
Online Reporter