Norman James Watt

At 9.22pm on Thursday 20 July 2000, officers were called to a hobby farm at Alton Downs, near Rockhampton, after reports that a serious domestic dispute was taking place. A man named Cooper had fired three shots at a friend during an argument. Senior Constable Norm Watt, a member of the Rockhampton dog squad, and PD Zeus, were also called to the scene.

Officers arrived and began to put a cordon around the residence. In the dark, Cooper had exited the house and hidden himself in some bushes in the yard. It was just after midnight when a shot was heard and Senior Constable Watt was seen to fall to the ground. He had been checking the boundary fences on the property with another officer. Fellow officers were unable to safely approach their fallen colleague because they could not see exactly where he was in the dark and did not know the whereabouts of the gunman.

An armoured vehicle from the Rockhampton Correctional Centre was used to recover Watt's body. A doctor and ambulance were at the scene and began treating Watt who had been shot in the groin. The bullet had severed an artery and he was pronounced dead at 3.47am on Friday 21 July. After a seven-hour siege Cooper surrendered to police. He was later charged with murder and found guilty.