The plot is thickening as more armed people are turning up in unusual places resulting in another deadly shooting by police officers this time in Central Queensland.

Police have revealed more details about the lead-up to the fatal police shooting of a man alongside the Bruce Highway on Monday. 

The 36-year-old man, who had earlier stolen a car at gunpoint, was shot dead during a confrontation with three officers at a rest stop south of Miriam Vale, in Central Queensland. 

The drama began about 10.50am with reports of a green Nissan Patrol being stolen from Bororen with a long-arm rifle and ammo inside.

It escalated 25 minutes later when the man used the weapon in a confrontation with a 61-year-old woman at Cawthrays Rd, Colosseum. 

Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent Darrin Shadlow said the man demanded the car keys from the woman.

“He’s then stolen another four-wheel drive (a white Toyota HiLux) utility from that address … destroying their front gate on the way out,” he said. 

Police patrols spotted the man pulled to the side of the Bruce Highway about 11.50am.

”A male person has got out of the vehicle, armed with a rifle. The male person has pointed that rifle at police,” Supt Shadlow said.

“Police have confronted him, called upon him to drop the firearm, he didn’t do that and unfortunately police have had to engage and subsequently shot that male person.

“Police immediately attended to CPR of that person. QAS were called to the deceased at the scene some time later.”

He said the man was approached by two male and one female police officer. Two of them discharged their weapons. He refused to say how many shots were fired. 

Police said the man was known to police and was believed to be originally from the Cairns area.

“We do know that he has been in and around the Central Queensland area for probably the last week.”

The Queensland Police Ethical Standards Command is investigating. 

A witness at a roadhouse near the shooting told media on Monday that he’d received an alert that a gunman was travelling toward his business.

“He was just shooting at whatever was going past as he was driving past,’’ the man told 9 News.

“A truck driver come in who had a couple of bullet holes in his truck where he had been shot at. “He was shaken up a little bit … I made him a coffee.’’

But Supt Shadlow said police had no information about shots being fired towards members of the public.

“If any of the members of the public does have information in relation to that, we would like to hear from them and speak with him in relation to that,’’ he said.

Police are investigating if other car thefts in the Central Queensland area may be related.

There were also attempts to break into another gun safe in the area, with police saying the description of the offender matched that of the man shot on the side of the highway. – Courier Mail