Hunt continues for Queen St Mall gunman after stabbing north of Brisbane
The Queen Street Mall gunman remains on the run and police continue to investigate the stabbing death of a man, who was found dead in the street north of Brisbane on Thursday.
Despite the body of the 41-year-old Bidjara man being found on Blyth Road in Murrumba Downs about 5.40am, detectives were looking into whether he was in a vehicle just before he was attacked.
The 41-year-old man was stabbed to death in Murrumba Downs north of Brisbane on Thursday.Credit:Facebook
A major investigation centre at Petrie Police Station remains operational and police said there had been no reported sightings of the wanted man, 39-year-old Lee Matthew Hillier, by Friday night.
Homicide detectives investigating the suspected murder revealed on Friday morning they were searching for Hillier, who was released from prison in September last year after pulling a gun on police in Brisbane’s central shopping strip in March 2013.
Detective Inspector Damien Hansen said officers were “very confident” of locating Hillier but warned members of the public to not approach him and call police immediately if they see him.
Wanted man Lee Matthew Hillier.Credit:Queensland Police Service
Hillier was an associate of the 41-year-old victim and was also known to the 19-year-old woman who was with the man when he died on Blyth Road in Murrumba Downs on Thursday morning.
The young woman, believed to be a family friend, who was with the victim when he was attacked called triple zero and was uninjured.
Inspector Hansen would not confirm if the 19-year-old was also attacked, but said she had provided a statement to police and was deeply traumatised by the incident.
Hillier was believed to still be in Brisbane and did not have a fixed address.
Inspector Hansen warned anyone who may be housing or supporting Hillier that they could also be charged.
“We’re actively looking for him, he’s avoiding us,” he said.
“I would say to any person who is currently with Hillier or is providing him with any assistance, that they will be investigated fully and any criminal offences that they are committing, they will be prosecuted for.”
The day shoppers ran away as the Queen Street Mall siege unfolded
Hillier held Brisbane’s CBD hostage for 90 minutes on March 8, 2013, and yelled at specialist police officers “shoot me, shoot me” before threatening his own life.
Lee Matthew Hillier, pictured being confronted by an armed police officer, locked down the Queen Street Mall in 2013.Credit:Andreas Kouremenos
Police in Queen Street Mall had asked him to show his ID. Instead, he pulled out a gun and forced the evacuation of hundreds of workers and shoppers.
Officers shot him with a mixture of lethal and non-lethal rounds as he walked towards them threatening to open fire. After being arrested, police discovered Hillier’s gun wasn’t loaded.
He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years imprisonment and released last year.
-with Jorge Branco
Lucy is the urban affairs reporter for the Brisbane Times, with a special interest in Brisbane City Council.
Toby Crockford is a breaking news reporter at the Brisbane Times