An investigation into the fatal shooting of a Paeroa man has found the shooting was 'justified”.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority investigated the shooting of 57-year-old Michael Taylor following his death on June 10, 2016.
Waikato District Commander, Superintendent Bruce Bird says officers were faced with a tough situation on the day of the shooting.
'Mr Taylor was shot after he advanced on a police car, armed with a sickle and machete,” says Bruce in a statement released today.
'After throwing one of the weapons at the car, he moved to strike the front passenger window with the other weapon.
'The officer seated in the front passenger seat, who was unable to escape or protect himself, fired four shots at Mr Taylor, three of which struck him.”
The IPCA notes the officer who fired the shots believed on reasonable grounds that Mr Taylor was about to kill or seriously injure him.
'This has been tough, traumatic and challenging for all those involved,” says Bruce.
'On behalf of NZ Police I acknowledge Mr Taylor's family and extend our deepest sympathies to them.
'The incident was also challenging for our staff – not only those that were involved on the day but also our investigators and the staff in the wider Paeroa community.
'I commend our staff for the professionalism they have demonstrated throughout.”
1 comment
Very sad.
Posted on 21-09-2017 17:09 | By morepork
There are all kinds of reasons and justifications and the verdict is probably fair, but it still means a huge amount of grief and trauma for all involved. I still believe our police should be given net guns, so that when a suspect is obviously agitated and refusing to put down weapons, they can be disabled, without it requiring lethal force and with minimal risk to Police. It would not have been possible for this man to approach the Police car if he had been netted and restrained once his demeanour became apparent.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.