Family set to farewell Aubrey

A funeral service for the man shot dead by police during an alleged domestic violence dispute at Mareeba will be held later this week.

The farewell for Aubrey Donahue will be held at the Mareeba Seventh Day Adventist church at midday on Thursday, April 20.

The 27-year-old will then be buried at the Mareeba cemetery.

Donahue died following a four-hour siege at a Love Street address on Saturday, March 25.

Police attended following reports the man threatened selfharm. It’s alleged Mr Donahue was not allowing another occupant of the house, his girlfriend, to leave.

When specialist officers entered the house, they fatally shot Mr Donahue after police allege he was armed with a knife and advanced on officers.

CPR was performed but Mr Donahue could not be revived.

The community was in unrest in the days after the shooting; police officers were verbally abused and objects thrown at their cars when they left a community meeting the following day.

The unrest continued when Mr Donahue’s twin brother Algen was released from custody. He joined hundreds on the streets of Mareeba to protest his brother’s death.

The crowd waved signs that read “stop killing us” and

“black lives matter” while slamming fists into road signs.

At the time Desley Ketchup, the mother of Aubrey Donahue, demanded justice and that the officer responsible be investigated.

“I want answers, just give me the answers. I want justice, that’s all I want,” she said.

Police have promised a full and independent investigation into the shooting, which is being conducted by Ethical

Standards Command on behalf of the State Coroner, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.