Frontline cops dealing with violent situations like the one in Christchurch that ended with police shooting two people – one fatally – have his full support, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says.
A woman died and a man was critically injured in the incident in the suburb of Bryndwr late on Wednesday.
“It’s just an extremely difficult and stressful situation for all of those involved,” Mitchell told Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW this morning.
“The worst case scenario for any police officer [is] when they have to use force like that. And so my heart goes out to them, and their families and of course, for the family of the person that was injured and the woman that was killed.”
Police went to the Clyde Rd property after being told a man armed with a knife was threatening to hurt himself and his partner, where they saw a woman running from the house followed by a man armed with a knife, Superintendent Tony Hill said yesterday.
“Believing the woman to be at risk of imminent serious harm, police shot the man, critically injuring him,” said Hill, the Canterbury District Commander.
“The woman subsequently picked up the knife and threatened police.”
Despite police telling her to put the knife down, the woman moved forward and was then shot, Hill said.
“Immediate medical assistance was provided to the woman but tragically she passed away a short time later.”
Mitchell told Bridge he “never ever second guess[es] what happens in an operational situation”.
“But, you know, full support behind our frontline police officers, who unfortunately are having to deal with violent situations like this on a daily basis.”
Asked why a Taser wouldn’t be used in a situation like occurred on Wednesday, Mitchell said police had a range of tactical options.
“Like I said, I never second-guess what happens. None of us were there. None of us know what actually happened.
“I do know that we’ve got a world-class police force with world-class training.”
The incident would be investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, he said.
“We should all wait until the findings of that come out … this will be extremely stressful on those police officers and their families. And we’re making sure that we’ve got proper support around them.”
Hill said the injured man had surgery yesterday afternoon and remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital this morning.
A post-mortem on the woman who died at the scene would take place “in the coming days”, the district commander said.
“Cordons and a scene guard will remain in place at the property while the [police] scene examination is completed.”
Officers involved in critical incidents such as fatal shootings were given “welfare and wellness support”, he said.
Further information he could give was limited at this stage.
“Incidents such as this are complex and a range of investigations are already under way …[but] police are supporting the family of both the man and woman, as well as our own people.”
Former police negotiator Lance Burdett told Newstalk ZB this morning “domestic incidents” were unpredictable, with alcohol, drugs and mental distress or illness all potentially adding to a situation that can be fast-moving and hard to contain.
The various investigations would eventually determine what had happened, but “it looks like it’s suddenly unfolded for them, and they’ve been caught unawares”.
“You do have other methods of dealing with people such as Taser and spray and … baton. But in the heat of the moment, and particularly with a hunting knife - which is a fairly large weapon - you have to make a split-second decision.”
Police officers were trained to aim for the centre mass, because it was the biggest part of the body and also reduced the chance of a missed shot hitting someone else, Burdett told Newstalk ZB.
Investigations - including the criminal investigation - into shootings by police officers were robust, he said.
“It is exactly the same as any other member of the public. The police officer … they’ll have legal representation, they’ll be read their Bill of Rights, cautioned, and a full investigation and interview.
“It’s a criminal interview, which is very different to being interviewed or witnessing an incident.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.