Constable
Gavin A CAPES
YEAR OF DEATH
2001
JURISDICTION
Western Australia
DETAILS OF DEATH
On Australia Day 2001, Constable Capes, together with Sen. Const. Donald Everett, Sen. Const. Philip Ruland and 1st Class Const. David Dewar were killed in a Police Air Support plane crash near Newman. The four officers were on board a Cessna 310 as it was preparing to land at Newman airport around 10pm. The officers were returning to Newman after dealing with a situation at Kiwirrikurra near the Northern Territory border. A search team of about 40 people, including police officers and SES volunteers, located the wreckage of the plane approximately 2.6kms from the airport at 4.30am the next morning. Capes had been a police officer since 1997. Full police funerals were held in Perth for each of the officers. Capes was born on August 30 1973.
