Qld police shooting victim "lucky" to live

Police officers used first aid to save the life of a man they were forced to shoot when he attacked them with a knife in far north Queensland.

A detective shot the 40-year-old man multiple times when he refused to drop his knife and lunged at police during a disturbance at Cooktown on Tuesday morning.

Superintendent Geoff Sheldon has praised the police officers involved, saying the man, who remains in a critical condition, is only alive because of the "quality of the first aid" provided immediately after the incident.