Both police and the state’s police watchdog say they are investigating how officers responded when a man’s body was found in Goonellabah on Friday.
Officers on Sunday said a group of people took a 31-year-old man suffering serious head injuries to Lismore Base Hospital at around 2.50am Friday 7 November.
He was later airlifted to the Gold Coast University Hospital and reportedly still in a serious condition.
Meanwhile, emergency services were reportedly called to Fischer Street in Goonellabah around 6.20am Friday in response to a body having been found.
Big park brawl linked to 25-year-old’s death
Police declared the area a crime scene after finding the body of a 25-year-old man on a nearby walking track.
They said initial inquiries suggested both men may have been involved in a brawl in Goonellabah’s Clifford Park early that same morning that included up to fifteen or twenty people.
Anyone with information about the incident or who was in the area at the time with any available dashcam/mobile phone footage was asked to contact Lismore Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Mid North Coast officers to review Richmond Police
Police said the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad was helping local officers in the Richmond Police District investigate the young man’s death in what was dubbed Strike Force Pineshaw.
At the same time, officers from the Mid North Coast Police District further south were reportedly reviewing the actions of local police in responding to the incident.
The officers’ response was subject to an internal independent review by the Professional Standards Command.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission was also reviewing the incident, as they review all declared police critical incidents.
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