SIX boys cowered in the dark as a knife-wielding man threatened to kill them during a suburban sleepover from hell.
The group of mostly 12-year-olds yesterday told how their neighbour went on a rampage, screaming they "were going to die" and trying to batter down the door to their townhouse in the Brisbane suburb of Capalaba.
The three-hour ordeal ended only when Brett Hayes, 50, was shot in the groin by a policewoman after he allegedly lunged at her with six 30cm knives.
An investigation has been launched into the shooting as police defended their response to several frantic calls for help.
Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said police had visited the unit block "on a couple of occasions" earlier in the night, but were unable to find the source of a reported disturbance.
He brushed aside reports that police took more than an hour to respond to calls for assistance.
"On a busy Friday night, resources are stretched and priority is given to various jobs as they come in," he said.
The sleepover was being held at the townhouse of a 14-year-old boy, who had invited school friends aged 12 to 14 over for the night.
Just before midnight, the boy said Hayes had knocked on the door and asked whether the boys wanted to take a walk with him.
Their refusal sparked a three-hour rampage, during which they cowered in the dark while Hayes threatened to break the door down.
The boy said Hayes returned many times during the three hours, smashing against the lower-floor glass door, pounding on windows and fences and screaming threats.
One boy said the scariest moment was sitting in the house with the lights off as Hayes scratched at the door and shouted to the boys that they "were going to die".
As well as three calls to police, the boy also made a desperate phone call to his mother, who was working a late shift. She arrived shortly before the shooting.
Eyewitnesses say two female police officers ordered Hayes to return to his townhouse, a few doors down from the boy's home. But onlookers watched in horror as Hayes allegedly rushed out of his home armed with knives, lashing at the officers.
One said he was just metres from one of the officers who shot Hayes in the leg just before 3am after he allegedly ignored three warnings, lunging at the officer with a blade within centimetres of her face.
The mother of one of the boys at the sleepover said her son was still trying to deal with the terrifying ordeal.
"They will have nightmares for ages," she said. "You don't want your 12-year-old around guns, knives and shootings."
The mother said she was disappointed with the police response time.
No charges had been laid against Hayes, who spent last night in hospital.
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