Man shot in the stomach while breaking up pub brawl
A Proserpine man who broke up a brawl outside a country pub has recounted the moments before he was shot in the stomach.
The man who intervened in an alleged carjacking outside O’Shea’s pub bottle shop said he would not hesitate to do it again.
Nichola Amos was inside the pub when he heard yelling and screaming outside and ran to help.
When he found two men wrestling on the ground, he hunched over trying to pull them apart.
“The next thing I felt was a big thump on my stomach and a big bang,” Mr Amos said.
It is alleged by police that the gunman, who was on the ground, fired a gun upwards. The bullet sliced through Mr Amos’ stomach and through the other side.
Even though he was wounded, Mr Amos and the car owner pinned the shooter’s arms behind his back while the publican Andrew Guthrie gaffer-taped the man’s legs and hands.
It was only after the gunman was secure that Mr Amos realised he was shot, with the bullet going completely through. It missed any vital organs, but it was still a possibility he could get a severe infection.
Mr Amos said once he gets out of hospital he will return to the pub and thanked the O’Shea’s owner, staff and patrons for their help.
“I’m sore, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again,” Mr Amos said.
“It’s the local pub, we’re all friends, the publican and the bar staff — they treat you like family.”
A Walkerston man, 35, was charged with attempted armed robbery and assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and will appear in Mackay Magistrates Court on Monday, 6 September.
Irit Jackson, 6th September 2021
