An actor shot dead while filming a music video posted footage of gun and knife props on the set hours before the tragedy.
Johann Ofner, 28, uploaded a chilling clip – at one point captioned “faulty props” – before filming a gangster bar scene for Australian hip-hop group Bliss n Eso.
“Our Asian gangster props today!” the father-of-one wrote, showing viewers the Brooklyn Standard bar in Brisbane.
The video then panned to an array of firearms in a gun case, though it was unclear if they were real or fake.
(Photo: Instagram)
(Photo: Johann Ofner Facebook)
“On set today.. and these guys,” a voice believed to be Ofner’s says of the guns.
In the next section of video, he headlines the footage “Gun scene for Bliss N Eso video”.
It features a group of people sitting round a table where Ofner appears to put a gun on the table next to piles of gambling chips and rolls of $50 and $100 Australian notes.
(Photo: Instagram)
The next section of the video features a fake knife being “stabbed” into the stomach of another actor – with the blade collapsing to show it’s fake.
“Faulty props,” Ofner wrote over the footage of the knife and then the guns scattered over the table.
He was shot in the chest while filming the clip at about 3am today – 2pm today local time – and later died.
The video appears to have been posted to Instagram at about 9pm yesterday, or 8am today local time.
(Photo: Instagram)
(Photo: Instagram)
The shooting was “accidental” and there was “no current risk to the public”, Queensland Police said.
An armourer supplied the shoot with plastic replicas and a real shotgun with blanks, Brisbane’s Courier-Mail reported.
The paper added that the prop gun that was fired was a double-barrel shotgun.
The guns are said to have been supplied with a warning not to point them directly at people – but Ofner was shot from 1.5m away, the paper said.
(Photo: Instagram)
Ofner was set to star in a new television, Australia’s Ninja Warrior, hosted by former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff.
In a statement, Bliss n Eso’s management said: “We are able to confirm the death of a person occurred today at the filming of a Bliss n Eso music clip.
“The band were not on site at the time.
“The video production crew and our team are currently working with the police in their investigation and we are unable to provide further comment at this time.”
(Photo: Getty)
In a statement today on Facebook, the venue, Brooklyn Standard, said: “After an incident at Brooklyn Standard today, our doors will remain closed tonight as a police investigation is undertaken to identify what happened within the bar.
“The incident occurred during filming at the venue, for which Brooklyn Standard had been wholly rented out, outside of opening hours.
“We would like everyone to know that none of our staff were involved in the incident and everyone is safe, and we are doing everything we can to help the police investigation at this time.”
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At the scene where police probe shooting death
The band had recently put out a public call for acting talent for the clip for its latest track “Friend Like You”.
“We are filming a music video for our latest track “Friend Like You (feat. Lee Fields)” and we’d love YOU to be involved!” a message on its website says.
(Photo: Google)
“We’re after a diverse range of people of all ages and cultural backgrounds…shoot dates January 21 and 22.
“Whether you’re an aspiring actor looking for on set experience, or you just love being in front of the camera, this is for you!
“We are shooting around Brisbane and Gold Coast, so you will need to be based around South East QLD.”
(Photo: Getty)
Detective Inspector Tom Armitt confirmed the incident was subject to a criminal investigation, saying the victim was “an actor in that scene” and not a stuntman.
“Several firearms were discharged during the scene by several actors,” he said.
“As a result of those firearms one of the actors has received wounds to the chest and subsequently died from his injuries.
“We don’t know how these injuries occurred.”