Canterbury Police Shooting: Exaggerated Risk but Justified Shooting, Says IPCA

The police have been acquitted of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a man who threatened his family with a firearm.

The officers fired 10 shots at the man, who later died after being hit by a bullet fragment.

Donald Ineson, a 56-year-old man from Darfield, died after police responded to reports that he was threatening his family with a firearm in November 2018.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority investigated and released its report on Tuesday, saying the shooting was legally justified.

She said Joanne Ineson called 111 to report that her husband had pointed a shotgun at her during an argument.

During the call, he heard two shots.

A few minutes later she reported that she was shooting at the front door.

“While Ms. Ineson reasonably believed at the time that Mr. Ineson had fired his shotgun at the door, a subsequent examination of the scene revealed that he had used an ax to enter and get his car keys,” says the IPCA report.

“In the minds of the officers, Mr. Ineson was volatile and dangerous, and potentially suicidal,” said IPCA President Judge Colin Doherty.

“They feared it would deliberately collide with another vehicle, potentially killing or seriously injuring any occupant of that vehicle.”

“They also believed that Mr. Ineson could still have the shotgun with him and were concerned that he would use it against other police officers in his efforts to escape.”

But the IPCA said that the probability of these risks occurring was low and that shooting at Ineson to prevent her escape in these circumstances was not justified.

However, the legal test for that situation involved evaluating whether the force was reasonable under the circumstances, as the officers believed the circumstances to be.

In a statement attributed to Ineson’s wife, Joanne, and released to the media Tuesday morning, the family expressed some relief at the IPCA findings.

“We are relieved that the IPCA has confirmed that my husband did not have time to react and did not deliberately hit a police officer who ran in front of his moving vehicle as he was leaving his home,” she said in the statement.

“However, we believe that the subsequent actions of the officers at the scene, which led to the death of my husband, were excessive.”

“My husband will be remembered by his family, friends and co-workers as a good man,” Joanne said in the statement Tuesday.

Police fired at the vehicle, which then stopped.