Waitara man Steven Wallace was never a danger to anyone and should not have been shot by police, a witness said last night.
Tom Kettle, aged 60, told the Holmes television show that he had broken his silence because of his concern that crucial evidence was missing from his police statement.
After the programme, Central District commander Superintendent Mark Lammas, of Palmerston North, said it was the first he had heard of Mr Kettle's concerns and police would talk to him again.
Mr Wallace was shot by a Waitara policeman in the main street of the town after a window-smashing spree about 3 am on April 30.
On Holmes last night, Mr Kettle said Mr Wallace, 23, whom he had known all his life, did not have to die, that he was never a threat to people that night and that police should have kept their distance until more officers arrived.
"He could have been disarmed and arrested without being shot," Mr Kettle said.
Police had antagonised Mr Wallace by confronting him with guns.
The policeman had made a mistake in not giving Mr Wallace time to respond after telling him to stop and that he had a gun.
Mr Kettle said he never felt in danger from Mr Wallace during the incident.
A taxi had pulled up nearby and a girl had got out saying, "Bro, what do you think you're doing?"
Mr Wallace had walked away from her. "He didn't care about us at all."
Mr Kettle was concerned because his five-page sworn police statement was devoid of detail, compared with the 14-page statement he later gave to the Wallace family's lawyer.
He said he had followed Mr Wallace on his window-smashing rampage and had seen most of what had happened that night. He was never further than 6m from Mr Wallace.
Mr Kettle said he was speaking out to stop the same thing happening to someone else.
The shooting is the subject of a police homicide investigation, a Police Complaints Authority probe, an independent investigation by the Wallace family and an inquest.
Concerns have been raised about police racism and police policy on shooting to stop an alleged offender.
Last night, Mr Lammas said he assumed that Mr Kettle had signed his statement to police at the time, agreeing it was a fair account of what he had said.
"We will be going back to Mr Kettle to see what further information he has that he did not provide to police when he was interviewed."
Mr Kettle was one of a few people who saw the final minutes surrounding the shooting, he said.
Meanwhile, the police report, which will determine if the officer who shot Mr Wallace will be charged, may be released this month.
Mr Lammas hoped the Crown Law Office would give its opinion on the report to Police Commissioner Rob Robinson by next week.
Mr Robinson would probably take a week to review the file and the decision on criminal culpability.
Wanganui barrister John Rowan, QC, who has been hired by Mr Wallace's relatives, said his private investigation for the family had not been completed and he would not comment at this stage.
- NZPA
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