Critical incident investigation after man shot by police during Newcastle arrest

3 March 2026

UPDATED

newy.com.au – A critical incident investigation has been launched after a 36-year-old man was shot by police during an attempt to arrest him at a unit block on Honeysuckle Drive in Newcastle on Tuesday morning.

NSW Police said specialist officers attended the address about 8.30am on Tuesday 3 March 2026 to arrest a man wanted on five outstanding arrest warrants, before a confrontation inside the unit ended with a firearm being discharged.

Police said the Northern Operations Support Group and the Northern Region Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Team forced entry to the unit as part of the arrest attempt.

Inside, officers were confronted by a man who was allegedly armed with a knife, police said. Two Tasers were deployed but were ineffective, and the man allegedly continued threatening officers with the weapon before a police officer fired, shooting him.

The man sustained a gunshot wound to his shoulder and was taken under police guard to John Hunter Hospital, where he was listed in a stable condition.

A crime scene was established at the Honeysuckle Drive unit block, with Newcastle City Police District commencing inquiries into the circumstances of the shooting.

In a later statement on Tuesday, NSW Police said a critical incident team from Lake Macquarie Police District would lead the investigation. Police said the probe would be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and overseen by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Cribb said the incident had been traumatic for officers and praised their response, describing their actions as “heroic”. Police said inquiries into the incident were continuing.

Later in the day, multiple buildings in the same cluster of units were evacuated about 12.35pm after a fire alarm was activated, with Fire and Rescue crews attending. Residents and workers gathered on Honeysuckle Drive and in a courtyard behind the units while crews searched the building, before determining it was a false alarm.