A senior Queensland detective has been stood aside over comments he made about the deaths of Brisbane mum Hannah Clarke and her three children.
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Detective Inspector Mark Thompson has been intensely criticised online over remarks he made during a 13-minute press conference on Thursday.
He had said police were keeping an open mind about whether the deaths of Ms Clarke and her children were a case of a "husband being driven too far by issues" or a woman and children suffering extreme domestic violence.
It led to criticism online and Det Insp Thompson being stood aside from the police probe.
Commissioner Katarina Carroll said he is an extraordinarily committed, experienced and brilliant investigator who stood aside voluntarily on Friday.
The decision was made to ensure the integrity of the investigation and confidence in the police service, she said.
She said she understood outrage on social media outrage after the comments were made.
"If you see it in isolation, of what was fully said ... I thought to myself, "wow... this is really hurtful to anyone that would be affected by this," Commissioner Carroll told media.
"(Domestic violence) is something that we are trying to get rid of in our society, and work so hard to support, particularly, victims."
She said she also felt sorry for Det Insp Thompson.
Earlier on Friday she apologised for what was said, adding that the phrasing was wrong and Det Insp Thompson was gutted about the words he used.
Domestic violence campaigners including Red Rose Foundation's Betty Taylor and Angela Lynch, the head of the Women's Legal Service Queensland, have condemned the comments as victim blaming.
Ms Clarke, 31, and her children, Laianah, 4, Aaliyah, 6, and Trey, 3, were killed when Rowan Baxter allegedly poured petrol on his family and set them alight at Camp Hill in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Baxter died on the footpath from self-inflicted wounds, police say.
"Our job as investigators is to keep a completely open mind," Det Insp Thompson told reporters in a 13-minute press conference.
He noted the outpouring of anger and grief on social media following the deaths and urged anyone with information about the family dynamic to come forward.
"We need to look at every piece of information and, to put it bluntly, there are probably people out there in the community that are deciding which side to take so to speak in this investigation," he said.
"Is this an issue of a woman suffering significant domestic violence and her and her children perishing at the hands of the husband? Or is this an instance of a husband being driven too far by issues that he's suffered by certain circumstances into committing acts of this form?"
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Australian Associated Press
