It began with a single phone call — a routine callout every police officer has answered a thousand times. It led to a single, intense second in time; a moment that would change Constable Daryl Elliott Green’s life forever.
It was 3:50 a.m. on May 1, 2000. The Brisbane suburb of Chermside West was shrouded in the eerie silence of a Monday morning public holiday. A routine neighbourhood dispute was about to rapidly spiral out of control into a life-and-death struggle.
Suddenly, out of the darkness emerged a man armed with a .22 calibre rifle. Daryl was seated in his patrol car, his door open, when he was ambushed and TWICE SHOT — first to the face and then to his shoulder — all from less than one metre away.
No Australian missed the horrific news of the Hanbury Street shooting over the May Day long weekend — it stopped the nation in its tracks. For three intense weeks, the ambush and subsequent nationwide manhunt for the gunman dominated every television screen and newspaper across the country and made international headlines.
Daryl and his colleagues, Constable Sharnelle Cole and Sergeant Chris Mulhall, had responded to a Triple Zero (000) call regarding a neighbourhood dispute that had escalated over weeks. As they began their investigation, the routine callout took a lethal turn. A gunman emerged from the darkness at a sprint, stopped just outside the patrol car, and emptied a 10-round magazine into the vehicle — shooting all three officers multiple times.
Despite critical head injuries, Daryl managed — amid the blood, terror, and chaos — to draw his service firearm, exit the vehicle, and take decisive action. He searched for the gunman, protected his incapacitated partner, directed residents back to safety, and attempted to locate his missing Sergeant. Ignoring his own injuries and safety, he returned to stand guard over his severely wounded partner, protecting her until backup arrived — every agonising second was recorded on a chilling police audio tape.
Alone, it was the longest five minutes of his life.
Incredibly, all three officers survived.
But survival was just the start of a gruelling road to rebuild his life. What followed was a 20-month gauntlet of maxillofacial reconstruction surgeries, the daunting challenge of returning to frontline policing, and years of physical and psychological mountains — including a derailed career, debilitating depression, and the full force of Post-Traumatic Stress.
From this ordeal, Daryl discovered a deep reservoir of discipline, grit, and resilience he didn’t know he possessed. It was here, forged from the firestorm of adversity, that the pillars of TWICE SHOT began to emerge.
A fork in the road appeared when a Police Academy instructor asked Daryl a challenging question: Would he speak to the next generation of police recruits about the shooting?
From that one question, Daryl realised his purpose extended far beyond sharing a ‘war story.’ By analysing his experience, he could educate others on exactly what does and does not work to rebuild a derailed life — providing a blueprint to help people navigate adversity, disruption, and high-stakes pressure.
In 2006, Daryl stepped into a classroom to address a room of police recruits. It was the next defining point in his life, as significant as the shooting six years earlier. That moment marked the beginning of his professional speaking journey — and the birth of TWICE SHOT. It was built on the hard-earned, practical wisdom that helped him navigate life after the shooting, now forged into the four pillars of the TWICE SHOT blueprint: Resilience, Courageous Conversations, Leadership, and Brave Decisions.
For the next decade, Daryl lived the principles he shared while continuing to rise through the ranks of the Queensland Police Service. What began as a single talk at the Academy evolved into a sought-after address, with demand growing from recruits to frontline police and to specialist units — resonating particularly with police negotiators.
In 2012, his message hit a tipping point — entry into the corporate world. Daryl was invited to address Energex, a major Australian energy provider. It became clear that whether facing a firestorm of bullets or the high-pressure demands of critical infrastructure, the pillars of Resilience, Courageous Conversations, Leadership, and Brave Decisions were universally applicable.
In 2015, Daryl’s journey underwent a dynamic shift. He was awarded the Kerrie Nairn Scholarship by Professional Speakers Australia — a prestigious 12-month development program for the nation’s most promising speakers. This period of intense mentoring and expert coaching marked a critical evolution in his career, transforming raw experience into world-class stage delivery. The scholarship helped define the hallmarks of a Daryl Elliott Green keynote: cinematic production, raw authenticity, and actionable wisdom.
In the early hours of 1 May 2000, Sergeant Christopher Mulhall and Constables Daryl Green and Sharnelle Cole responded to a complaint by a person that a neighbour had threatened to enter his residence at West Chermside, shoot him, and then turn the gun on himself. After speaking to the complainant, the officers returned to their vehicle to discuss an appropriate course of action. With screams of “I’m going to get you” the offender ambushed the officers by rapidly discharging a series of .22 calibre sub-sonic rounds through the open doors of the police vehicle, wounding all three officers. Despite being unaware of the whereabouts of the offender and having sustained gunshot wounds to the face, Constable Green immediately drew his Service revolver and placed himself in front of the police vehicle to provide protection for Constable Cole. Senior Constable Brett Price then arrived at the scene and dragged Constable Green, who had by now lost a significant amount of blood, to the side of the police vehicle until the arrival of other police and ambulance officers. Medical treatment was then administered and Constable Green was transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital. Although having sustained serious gunshot injuries. Constable Green demonstrated courage in endeavouring to ensure the safety and well-being of fellow officers.
By his actions. Constable Green displayed exceptional bravery.
GIVEN at Police Headquarters, Brisbane, this twenty-fifth day of January 2001.
Daryl didn’t just rebuild his life after being TWICE SHOT; he forged a new one. Overcoming physical injuries and navigating the complexities of Post-Traumatic Stress, he regained his life through discipline, purpose, and forward momentum — staying grounded in his passions for running, world travel, and a lifelong commitment to serve.
By 2013, Daryl was already using his story as a platform for service. He leveraged his speaking expertise to raise vital funds for Special Olympics Australia — a mission that culminated in him joining a team to tackle the gruelling ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro. Standing on the roof of Africa was more than a personal milestone; it was the physical manifestation of his journey — proving that with the right blueprint, any peak is possible.
TWICE SHOT in the line of duty. Now bulletproofing teams and leaders to perform under fire.
TWICE SHOT keynotes are visceral, cinematic storytelling experiences — incorporating original incident audio, re-enactments, crime-scene visuals, 3D surgical reconstruction modelling, and physical artefacts from the line of duty. Every element is meticulously curated to deliver unforgettable learning moments and the actionable wisdom teams and leaders need to perform under fire.
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