Rotorua man shot by police dies

The man who was shot by police during an armed incident on Rotorua's Te Ngae Road on July 14 has died.

Police say Rotorua man Shargin Stephens, 35, died in Waikato Hospital on Tuesday.


Police say Rotorua man Shargin Stephens, 35, died in Waikato Hospital on Tuesday. File Photo.

His death will be referred to the Coroner and a post mortem will take place today.

'Police's thoughts are with the family at this time,” they say in a statement.

At the time of the shooting, Stephens had been armed with a four foot slasher and was being pursued by three officers.

After ignoring several requests to drop his weapon, officers attempted to subdue Stephens with pepper spray and Tasers, and when those efforts were unsuccessful, he was then shot by one of the officers.

The investigation into the incident is continuing and anyone who was in in the area of Vaughan, Marino and Te Ngae roads on Thursday, July 14, and may have witnessed the incident is being asked to contact Rotorua Police.

'Anyone with information or footage of the event is also asked to contact police to help build a more detailed picture of what has occurred.

In particular, Police would like to speak to the young men who filmed the video of the incident that has been widely circulated by media,” says police.

If you have any information about the incident contact Rotorua Police on 07 349 9400.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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1 comment

Here's an idea.

Posted on 27-07-2016 13:49 | By morepork

This is tragic and my commiserations to the family. However, the Police have a job to do and if people won't comply when told to drop a weapon, it isn't hard to see how it can escalate. We need a solution where a potential threat is removed but nobody has to die. This got me thinking about those guns that fire nets and are used to capture and subdue wild animals. It could be a humane solution to a stand-off like this. You'd only need one Officer to have the net. Once it was deployed, the perpetrator could then be easily captured and handcuffed. Lethal force has to be a last resort and it shouldn't need to come to that if the threat can be nullified in other ways. (Obviously, if someone has a gun and is pointing it at people, refusing to drop it, that's another story...)


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