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A MAN shot dead on the Central Coast last week after allegedly pointing a double barrel shotgun at police has been identified as former Nowra man Joshua Duke.
Duke was shot by police on Thursday, October 15, after allegedly being involved in a confrontation with officers.
Tuggerah Lakes Police District officers attended Minnesota Road at Hamlyn Terrace, at Wyong just before 10am after a stolen vehicle was tracked to the location following an earlier pursuit.
It is alleged 37-year-old Duke, threatened police with a firearm, with officers opening fire.
He died at the scene.
A second man allegedly involved in the incident avoided capture for several days before being arrested at a Willow Road, Springwood address at 6.30pm on Sunday, October 18.
The 46-year-old was due to face Gosford Local Court on Monday on a number of domestic violence related charges and two outstanding warrants.
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Duke was well-known in the Shoalhaven and was the centre of a South Coast crime spree in late 2012, early 2013, which included three armed robberies in one 24-hour period and a series of violent run-ins with the law. He was then on the run for 19 days after escaping from the South Coast Correctional Centre.
When eventually arrested Duke, then 30, faced more than 70 charges for a variety of incidents, including armed robberies, attacks on police and home invasions, one South Nowra and at Windsor.
He had allegedly been pulled over by police at about 11.10pm on January 11, 2013 on the Princes Highway at Foxground, but rammed a police car with a white Toyota LandCruiser.
He later pleaded guilty to holding up service stations at Albion Park, Tomerong and Batemans Bay between 2am on January 15 and 12.30am on January 16, 2013. Police said Duke was armed with a 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle at the time.
Duke, who was declared armed and dangerous, was the centre of a statewide alert after he evaded officers in a separate car chase through the South Nowra area on January 21, 2013.
A large section of the South Nowra area, bordered by the Princes Highway, Flinders Road, Albatross Road and the housing area in and around Elyard Drive was cordoned off by police searching for Duke.
Duke crashed an allegedly stolen four-wheel-drive in bushland west of the Princes Highway, south of Nowra, following a police pursuit that started in East Nowra.
During the chase Duke allegedly rammed a police car, causing minor damage, before a wild chase through streets, culminated in Duke's vehicle barrelling through the then uncompleted Princes Highway upgrade works at South Nowra before crashing on a bush track adjacent to the highway.
In 40 degree heat, he evaded police in bushland, despite an aerial search by the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter and ground searches by numerous officers including the dog squad.
He was spotted by a member of the public in Hollands Road, South Nowra at about 6.30pm that evening and was arrested after a foot pursuit and vicious wrestle during which two police sustained minor injuries.
On June 8, 2013 he escaped from the South Nowra Jail, using two rubbish bins on top of each other as a springboard to gain access to the jail wall, before clambering over razor wire and jumping between six and 10 metres to the ground before running off.
He was eventually arrested 19 days later on June 27, at a Worrigee home.
In July 2014 he pleaded guilty to holding up service stations at Albion Park, Tomerong and Batemans Bay along with discharging a firearm with disregard to safety, failing to stop in a police pursuit and driving recklessly, using an offensive weapon to avoid arrest, possessing an unregistered firearm and four counts of stealling a motor vehicle.
He was also allegedly involved in receiving and disposing of stolen property, including a 2008 Sterling Prime Mover valued at $250,000, a Freight Liner semi-trailer, a Caterpillar excavator, a Thomas bobcat and a homemade trailer.
Duke was sentenced to seven years and nine months' jail in December 2014. It is understood he had been released earlier this year prior to this latest incident and his death.
Read more: Crime/Court
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