 For your attendance, can I please introduce to you Harry O'Brien, Sonia's father, father-in-law of detective leading. Also introduce your son, Shane. They will participate in our interview today. I do appreciate your presence. At this stage this morning as a result of medical advice the family will take a certain course of action in relation to the life support the day I'm in is presently on at this stage that will take place sometime later this morning. At this point I'd like to ask Gary if you would like to say a few words and Gary is happy to take some questions. I guess my first point of call for you guys today is to the media coverage that we've had which created a lot of interest and exposure I suppose and most of it has been very favourable towards our family and friends both here and state and indeed overseas. The support that we've had from the Queensland Police Service has been absolutely overwhelming which words just follow me as far as what's transpired up until now. Having two kids and Damien was one of my kids in the police service you do not appreciate the work they do until something like this actually happens. Most people see the police as the guys who pull you over on the side of the road and there's lots of expletives happening but I think they might have to protect and serve Damien my son-in-law. He's given the ultimate sacrifice as far as that goes. He was an absolutely amazing man. He's the father of my two of my grandchildren. He'd just come back from paternity leave from them having their first daughter Grace. Outside of his interest at home and our immediate family his work was his life. He dedicated his life to that. The close circuit of friends that he has particularly at Coomera would become friends of many of them and up until this incident happened the family's expanded rapidly and like I say we're just overwhelmed with our support. The treatment that Damien's had at the hospital is a paramedic of 30 years. We always hear the flat side of the media's responses to ramping etc and how badly our health system is but there is absolutely nothing we can say that can give their support to the particularly the ICU nurses and staffing have been just absolutely fantastic that's all I can say. Thank you. Thank you ladies and gentlemen if I could just reiterate Damien personified what a young modern day detective is. He was highly skilled, highly trained, superb fit athlete. His wife is a police officer. They met whilst they were doing their training at our police academy in 2003 and their relationship has developed from then to two lovely children. Both have served their entire career in the Gold Coast Police District stationed at Surface Paradise and Damien as I said was a founding detective at the recent Coomera CIB after doing what we call the hard yards in the Gold Coast CIB. Signer is on maternity leave and is attached to our Runaway Bay General Duties Police. As I said they are part of the extended family and if I could just reiterate what Gary has spoken about and thank everyone from the first responding ambulance officers to the community at Pacific Pines and of course to the wonderful staff at the Gold Coast Hospital especially the intensive care unit but I'd also like to give some special thanks to my staff that were the second responders in this incident that provided the instant support and have performed extremely beyond the call of duty in relation to the apprehension of the accused persons in this matter. Later today I will provide you with further comments in relation to the investigation that's suffice to say that our investigation is still underway and we await certain processes as the morning will progress. Gary and I are happy to field any questions that you may have. Gary how was your life game I remember? Great father just a top bloke who'd do anything for anybody and I'm just a bit annoyed he's carpenter I think before he became a police officer just a bit annoyed that he hasn't built me the barley hut that he was going to but you just couldn't ask to me a nicer guy. A couple weeks ago we were sitting in front of the television at their place having a beer and the news was on about all the armed holdups and he made the state when he took gas he says we're going to get the bastards. Any further questions ladies and gentlemen? Gary how tough is this whole decision as a family thing to thank this decision about Damian's future? It has been a major decision for us I guess in my particular own personal situation I've been sitting here for nearly three days looking at the numbers coming up on the screens of the ICU machinery being aware of what's transpiring which probably most people in the room except for the nurses haven't been aware of. I know it would be Damian's wish to do so the injury he sustained was very significant and I've seen quite a few of them over the years and it's what he would want and I think we got to the point where it's all about what's going to be the best benefit for Damian and that's the decision we made on was on clinical justification and Damian's welfare. Damian from his children they're at the hospital today? They're at the hospital today yes. And has Sonja coping today? Hudson wants to see his data we explained last night that he would be cubby home and Grace is she's just she's going to be another ranger like Hudson and his son and she's just full of smiles and it's not really aware of what's going on. And his father's still coming over? His father will arrive tomorrow and his sister arrived from England this morning and is currently with the family at the hospital and Damian's father arrives from England tomorrow. Sit in the ICU what are those? Gary in the ICU what are those moments been like with family and Damian there are they I don't know you're holding hands or you? We are there's a lot of touching going on Damian's had a corona beer prop reciting for the last two days haven't worked out how he hasn't opened the top up he's did it go warm but I guess Bronco's Jersey where he comes from in England I guess probably he's like good warm beer so but no it's been the time for the last particularly last two days has been certainly special I guess it's lead in time to the ultimate event we're about to proceed with today and as my daughter put it and she has she has had the strength I don't know where the hell it's come from as she said what we see in front of us with the injuries that Damo has it's not the Damian that we know his spirit left him several days ago what we see is just the carrier of that spirit and we're probably more prepared now than we were three or four days ago. This is any further questions ladies and gentlemen thank you very much and we certainly do appreciate your support and if you could please appreciate the families privacy in the next few days thank you very much. No we're not going to talk about that thanks very much.