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2007 Melbourne CBD shootings

SOLVED2007Corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD, Australia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the morning of 18 June 2007, an incident unfolded in Melbourne's central business district that left one man dead and two others wounded. Christopher Wayne Hudson, then 31 and a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, had spent the previous night drinking at a King Street venue. Early on 18 June, he assaulted Autumn Daly-Holt, a workmate of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Kara Douglas. After calling Douglas, who arrived to collect him around 7:30 a.m., Hudson dragged her onto the street by her hair.

At the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, two bystanders — 43-year-old solicitor Brendan Keilar and 25-year-old Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard — attempted to intervene to help Douglas. Hudson produced a firearm and shot all three. Keilar was fatally wounded in the head and died at the scene. De Waard and Douglas were both shot in the upper body; Douglas subsequently had a kidney removed as a result of her injuries.

Hudson fled the scene, discarding his weapon and jacket at a nearby construction site, where they were recovered by a construction worker roughly an hour later. His abandoned car, a black Honda CRV with New South Wales plates, was found on Flinders Lane; a second vehicle, a black Mercedes-Benz, was later located in Richmond. The Rialto Towers were evacuated amid reports the gunman had entered the building, prompting a floor-by-floor search. Hudson went into hiding for two days at what was described as a Hells Angels safehouse north of the city before surrendering to Victoria Police at Wallan on the evening of 20 June 2007, walking into the police station without incident. He was subsequently charged with murder and other offences.

In the days before the shooting, Hudson had also fired at police in Campbellfield following a night out with Collingwood footballer Alan Didak, who was interviewed by police about the incident but was not named as a suspect in the CBD shooting itself.

Formal charges against Hudson included one count of murder relating to Brendan Keilar, two counts of attempted murder relating to Kara Douglas and Paul de Waard, one count of intentionally causing serious injury relating to Autumn Daly-Holt, and one count of unlawful imprisonment, along with separate charges connected to the Campbellfield shooting incident.

In May 2008, Hudson pleaded guilty to the murder of Brendan Keilar. In September 2008 he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 35 years. In 2009, unverified allegations surfaced that Hudson had been tortured by fellow Hells Angels members for drawing police attention to the club; these claims were denied by Victoria Police and were undermined by a photograph provided by Hudson's stepmother. Paul de Waard returned to the Netherlands, where he underwent extended rehabilitation and later spoke publicly about his recovery.

Key facts

Victims
Paul de Waard, Kara Douglas, Brendan Keilar, Autumn Daly-Holt
Date
2007
Location
Corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD, Australia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2007-06-17

    Christopher Hudson spends the night drinking at a venue on King Street, Melbourne.

  2. 2007-06-18

    Hudson assaults Autumn Daly-Holt; later drags Kara Douglas onto the street. At approximately 8:20 a.m., he shoots Brendan Keilar, Paul de Waard, and Kara Douglas at William Street and Flinders Lane. Keilar dies at the scene; Hudson flees.

  3. 2007-06-20

    Hudson surrenders to Victoria Police at Wallan, north of Melbourne, at approximately 5:00 p.m., and is subsequently charged with murder and other offences.

  4. 2007-06-28

    Collingwood footballer Alan Didak is interviewed by police regarding a prior shooting incident involving Hudson in Campbellfield.

  5. 2007-10

    Paul de Waard gives a television interview in the Netherlands describing his ongoing rehabilitation.

  6. 2008-05

    Hudson pleads guilty to the murder of Brendan Keilar.

  7. 2008-09

    Hudson is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years before parole eligibility.

  8. 2009-05

    Allegations emerge that Hudson was tortured by Hells Angels members; the claims are denied by Victoria Police and later discredited.

  9. 2009-11-21

    Paul de Waard appears on Dutch television programme 'In de schaduw van het nieuws' discussing the incident.

Best coverage

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People

  • Paul de Waard

    VICTIM

    25-year-old Dutch backpacker shot in the upper body while attempting to intervene; survived and underwent extensive rehabilitation.

  • Kara Douglas

    VICTIM

    24-year-old woman assaulted and dragged into the street by Hudson, then shot in the upper body; later had a kidney removed due to her injuries.

  • Brendan Keilar

    VICTIM

    43-year-old solicitor fatally shot in the head while attempting to assist Kara Douglas; died at the scene.

  • Autumn Daly-Holt

    VICTIM

    Workmate of Kara Douglas who was assaulted by Hudson shortly before the shootings; Hudson was charged with intentionally causing her serious injury.

  • Christopher Wayne Hudson

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty in May 2008 to the murder of Brendan Keilar and other offences; sentenced in September 2008 to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum non-parole period.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD, Australia

-37.8186, 144.9600

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 18 June 2007, Christopher Wayne Hudson shot three people at the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane in Melbourne's CBD, killing solicitor Brendan Keilar and wounding Kara Douglas and Paul de Waard, who had intervened during a street assault. Hudson later pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Where did the shootings happen?
Corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD, Australia.
Who was convicted?
Christopher Wayne Hudson (Pleaded guilty in May 2008 to the murder of Brendan Keilar and other offences; sentenced in September 2008 to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum non-parole period.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Australia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC2007 Melbourne CBD shootingsWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Gunman and victim in hotel stayThe Age · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Melbourne CBD shooting reportnews.com.au · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 11, 2026