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At about 9.20 p.m. on Tuesday 16 December 1975, a serious domestic dispute occurred at a house in Hyacinth Street, Greensborough, between a man and his wife. During the argument, the man fired a number of shots. Constable Clare of Greensborough attended the call and as he approached he heard shots being fired into the street from the man's home in Acacia Court, Greensborough. Clare then went into the house in Hyacinth Street where he arranged for reinforcements. He then kept the premises under observation until the arrival of other police, including Detective Sergeant Murphy and Constable Morris.
When Murphy approached the Acacia Court premises he heard a man swearing and threatening to kill anyone who approached the house. Murphy was of the opinion that the man was either drunk or mentally ill. Murphy called out to the man that he wanted to speak to him, but was told that if he showed himself he would be killed. Murphy decided to attempt to gain entry to the house to speak with the man, to try and reason with him. He had Morris go to the house in Hyacinth Street and join Constable Clare and the man's wife, who had taken shelter there.
Murphy removed his revolver and handcuffs, told the man that he was disarming himself, and genuinely wanted to speak to him. The man allowed Murphy onto the patio opposite the bedroom window where he was concealed, and the two spoke for fifteen minutes before he finally allowed Murphy to enter the house. Murphy saw that he was armed with a .22 calibre rifle and was in a highly emotional state. On a number of occasions he pointed the rifle at Murphy, and he continually manipulated the safety catch.
Murphy spoke to the man for some time, and eventually gained his confidence. Gardiner then removed a live round from the breech, replaced it in the magazine, and threw the rifle on the floor. The man was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment. Altogether Murphy spoke with him for nearly an hour before he surrendered the rifle.
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