Dumbleyung incident: Col Blanch praises police officer as ‘hero’ after he was glassed over the head

WA’s top cop has praised the officer who shot a man while responding to a family violence incident in Dumbleyung as a “hero”, after body-worn camera footage revealed the man hit the officer over the head with a glass jar. Police say they were responding to a report of a domestic violence incident on Harvey Street — about 90km southeast of Narrogin — in the early hours of Saturday morning when the incident unfolded. The man and woman believed to have been involved in the altercation were separated when officers arrived at the scene, police say. Speaking on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the 35-year-old man allegedly hit the officer over the head with a glass jar, causing him to “bleed profusely”. “As the police officer was walking back into the kitchen, the allegations are he was struck over the head with ... what I believe is a glass jar,” he told ABC Radio. “As the police officer turned around ... the allegation is he kept coming towards the officer with the glass.” Mr Blanch said the attack prompted the officer to shoot the man once in the hip. “It wasn’t fatal, thankfully, but it enabled his partner to arrest the man who hit the officer,” he said. The man suffered non-fatal injuries and was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. The police officer was sent to Narrogin Hospital for treatment of his head injury. “Watching the body worn (footage), I’ve got to say I give all credit to that police officer,” Mr Blanch said. “He stayed calm, he had a significant wound in his head, it was bleeding profusely. “He managed to call for backup (and) he managed to provide cover to his partner.” The 35-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault of a public officer and appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday. Mr Blanch said the Crime and Corruption Commission would conduct an independent investigation over the incident. “The CCC will always oversee our use of force, particularly lethal force in this circumstance,” he said. “But as Commissioner, I support my officers protecting themselves and protecting their community. “If a subsequent investigation sees anything wrong with that, then that’s for me to then look and and discuss, but I’ve got to back my officers in very, very difficult circumstances.” Mr Blanch described the officer as a “hero” and said he had contacted both officers to commend them for their efforts. “What a wonderful job those police officers did (who were) responding to a very topical job in our community of family violence,” he said.