Home and Away's David to fight for survival in terrifying police incident

 He is rushed to hospital...

Home and Away’s Sargeant David Langham is the victim of a life-threatening shooting next week – and it’s his own protégée Richie Brezniak who pulls the trigger! Will David survive his brutal injury?

As more thefts continue to sweep the Bay, David is intent on finding the perpetrator – and when his daughter Lacey’s purse is stolen, she gives him a lead which allows him to link her attacker to the grocery store break-in.

When he receives the good news that Justin’s stolen van has been found, David takes Richie with him to apprehend the suspect at a nearby campsite.

However, when they arrive, a woman claims that she bought the van from a shifty salesman, and David fears he has the wrong person – until her boyfriend emerges and gets violent!

Things get dangerous fast when the mysterious aggressor approaches David and Richie," says our Summer Bay spy. "Panicked Richie pulls his gun out, and although David firmly demands that he stand down, he prepares to open fire on the man.

"In a tragic twist though, David steps into the bullet’s path as Richie pulls the trigger – and is the one who winds up wounded."

Having taken a bullet to the abdomen, David bleeds out on the ground as guilty Richie attempts to save his superior’s life. When Cash arrives at the scene, Richie breaks down and confesses to shooting David by mistake – leading furious Cash to take him in for immediate questioning!

Richie’s grilling by the conduct commission reveals that he didn’t follow police procedure, and he’s immediately suspended," reveals our source. "All Richie ever wanted was to be a good cop, but now he might’ve lost his badge for good due to his own recklessness.

"He’s so distraught that he refuses to leave the station as he’s terrified that it’ll be his last time there as an officer, so Cash is forced to send him home for counselling…"

Arriving at the hospital, unconscious David is rushed through to the ED in critical condition, where he’s attended to by new doctor Amelia Carlisle.

Finding that there’s no exit wound, Amelia concludes that the bullet must still be lodged inside of David – and the stakes heighten when he goes into cardiac arrest! As Lacey and Jo rush to their father’s side, Amelia attempts to resuscitate him…

"Newcomer Dr Carlisle keeps calm under pressure, but after administering three rounds of adrenalin, she admits that she’ll have to declare the Sarge dead if he doesn’t wake up soon," explains our insider.

"Luckily, Amelia manages to revive him but tells his daughters that with the bullet still inside him, he isn’t out of the woods yet."

When David’s blood pressure drops, Amelia prepares to perform emergency surgery to remove the stray bullet. Can she save David’s life, or could this be the end for the courageous Sargeant?