Coroner savages police who shot mentally ill man in back

[Guest guest]

Coroner savages police who shot man in back

By Lavoipierre

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-14/police-shooting-inquest-finds-threat-exaggerated/3571582/?site=sydney

Updated October 14, 2011 20:19:56

Adam Salter died after he was shot in the back in the kitchen of his father's Lakemba home.

Video: Coroner criticises police for shooting death (7pm TV News NSW)

Related Story: Shooting inquest hears police grappled with victim

Related Story: Police shooting witness describes chaos

Related Story: Father defends son shot dead by police

Related Story: Coroner told of Taser warning before fatal shot

Map: Lakemba

A coroner examining the fatal police shooting of a mentally ill man in Sydney's south-west says the officer response was at best "an utter failure".

Adam Salter, 36, was shot in the back by Sergeant Sheree Bissett in the kitchen of his father's Lakemba home in November 2009 as he stabbed himself repeatedly in the chest.

Sergeant Bissett yelled "Taser, Taser, Taser!" before firing the fatal shot.

Mr Salter was on antidepressant medication at the time of his death, and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Deputy State Coroner has refuted the police account that Sergeant Bissett had a reasonable belief that Mr Salter posed a threat to another officer in the room at the time.

Mr says there was strong evidence that Sergeant Bissett's description of the risk was exaggerated.

"At best, the police intervention was an utter failure," Mr said.

"Police killed the person they were supposed to be helping.

"They forgot to remove or secure the knife from the sink, they removed from the kitchen the very person, his father, most likely to be able to contain him.

"They left Adam Salter in the care of a young and inexperienced and - on the evidence of Salter (Adam's father) and the paramedics - an ineffective and unresponsive officer."

He has also found the policewoman's Taser warning revealed a "strong flavour of confusion".

Mr Salter's family have been critical throughout the inquest of an internal police investigation that cleared officers of wrongdoing, calling it a "cover up" and a "whitewash".

But Mr has declined a request to refer the matter to the New South Wales Police Integrity Commission.

Mr Salter's family have welcomed the findings.

Salter says the coroner has set the record straight.

"I hope that from now on the public will understand that the first version they were told was untrue," he said.

"What's important to us is that Adam's life was taken unexpectedly, tragically and unnecessarily.

"I think that what happened was a tragic mistake and wouldn't have happened had the police not been carrying guns."

The family is still considering whether to take the matter further.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-14/police-shooting-inquest-finds-threat-exaggerated/3571582/?site=sydney