CANBERRA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- A man has been charged with attempted murder after firing a police officer's gun at a major hospital in Australia's capital city.
Police were called to the Canberra Hospital on Wednesday evening after a man allegedly assaulted police and took an officer's gun, firing a single shot into the ceiling.
The man, aged 26, who was being held in the emergency department (ED) under police guard after being charged with a serious traffic offence earlier on Wednesday was subdued with a Taser.
He was formally charged with two counts of attempted murder on Thursday morning.
Witnesses reported hearing the man make threats before firing the weapon.
Marcus Boorman, Acting Superintendent of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Police, said the police would investigate how the man got hold of the officer's firearm.
"The incident has been contained. No hospital staff or members of the public were injured and there is no further risk to public safety," Boorman told reporters.
"We will obviously look into all of our procedures. But it's too early to speculate and would be inappropriate to speculate. At the end of the investigation it will all be revealed."
Parts of the hospital remain closed after the gunshot caused minor flooding, prompting authorities to encourage people with non-life or limb threatening injuries to seek alternative treatment.
Chris Bone, director-general of Canberra Hospital, said that emergency department staff were regularly exposed to unacceptable violence.
"I don't think any level of violence is acceptable in the emergency department," Bone told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"But I'm very relieved no patients and no staff were injured during the incident."
