Rundle Street Gun Shop Siege – 1976
Michael Hooke (sometimes known as Michael O'Connor) spent a few months in Royal Park Mental Hospital in Melbourne, firstly from December 10 to December 21, 1973, and then from January 9 until March 16, 1974.
Later that year, he decided that for his life to improve he needed a change of scenery and moved to Adelaide, South Australia.
In 1976, just after 11am on May 10th, the 43-year-old Hooke entered the Hambly-Clarke & Son Gun Shop at the eastern end of Rundle Street. He picked up two shotguns from the counter and began to load them with his own ammunition.
Hooke fired a shot inside the shop and ordered everyone to leave. The staff and customers exited through the front door, with the shop owner, Mr Hambly-Clark escaping through a back entrance.
The police arrived, the first responder being an unarmed officer, Constable G.P. Marr, who tried to reason with Hooke, only to have two shots fired in his direction. The area was quickly cordoned off, and the Armed Offenders Apprehension Group (a predecessor the today’s STAR Force) arrived on the scene.
The Armed Offenders Apprehension Group fired tear gas into the shop to try and get Hooke to surrender. About 5 minutes later Hooke emerged from the shop brandishing two shotguns.
He was ordered to drop the guns but refused. Instead, he fired off some random shots, and then levelled his guns at nearby police officers.
He was ordered to drop the guns but refused. Instead, he fired off some random shots, and then levelled his guns at nearby police officers.
A loud crack rang out in Rundle Street. Hooke felt hot steal penetrate his lower chest. Across the street in a furniture store window, sat Det. Sr. Const. Ramsden, SAPOL’s best marksman, had just taken the order to shoot.
Police set upon the wounded Hooke, and he was taken away to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in an ambulance, only to die a short time later from a haemorrhage in his upper stomach caused by the gunshot wound.
No motive was ever put forward for the siege.
© 2018 Allen Tiller
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Bibliography
1976 'MAN SHOT IN LONG SIEGE', The Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), 11 May, p. 1. , viewed 05 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131816642
Robertson D, 2014, Adelaide has witnessed several violent incidents that stopped the city before Rodney Clavell’s siege, The Advertiser, viewed 5 Jan 2018, http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/adelaide-has-witnessed-several-violent-incidents-that-stopped-the-city-before-rodney-clavells-siege/news-story/2b7d526fadcc034e3b4a67938e4fff10
1976 'Police justified in firing. the coroner says', The Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), 28 July, p. 12. , viewed 06 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110819250
Sadler, R. K. (Rex Kevin) & Hayllar, T. A. S. (Thomas Albert S.) & Powell, C. J. (Clifford J.) 1990, Enjoying English. Book 3, Macmillan, South Melbourne
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