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Metropolitan Police Sgt. Matt Ratana died of a gunshot wound to the chest after he was shot “ multiple times ” by a handcuffed suspect inside a police station, a coroner was told today.
The 54-year-old was shot while preparing to search a handcuffed suspect who had managed to smuggle a revolver into the custody room in Croydon, south London, on September 25.
Police have yet to speak to the alleged gunman, widely known as 23-year-old Louis De Zoysa, who is in critical condition at the hospital after he shot himself when opening fire. He was not named at the investigative hearing.
Detective Superintendent Nick Blackburn said the gun went off “multiple times.”
Sergeant. Ratana received a Long and Good Service Medal from Commissioner Cressida Dick on May 31, 2017. The 54-year-old was shot while preparing to search a handcuffed suspect who had managed to smuggle a revolver into the courtroom. custody.
The media are seen outside Croydon Forensic Court prior to the opening of the investigation into the death of Sergeant Matiu Ratana on October 1 in Croydon.
A revolver was later recovered from the site.
He said in the investigation that the suspect was first detained by police on Pollards Hill in South London at 1.30am.
The suspect was handcuffed and detained on suspicion of possession of ammunition and a class B drug.
He said: ‘Upon arrival (at the Croydon Custody Center), he (the suspect) was taken to a holding room where he remained handcuffed.
Custody Sergeant Matt Ratana entered the waiting room.
“The suspect fired the gun multiple times, during which the sergeant and the suspect were injured.”
Police officers are seen outside Croydon Forensic Court prior to the opening of the investigation into the death of Sergeant Matiu Ratana. The suspect was handcuffed and detained on suspicion of possession of ammunition and a class B drug.
The investigation heard that Mr. Ratana was taken to St George Hospital in Tooting, but was pronounced dead at 4:20 am.
Blackman said the preliminary cause of death given after the post-mortem examination was a gunshot wound to the chest.
No member of Ratana’s family, including his partner Su Bushby, was present at the hearing. Ratana’s son in Australia wanted to listen remotely, but the technology failed.
Sarah Ormond-Walshe, South London Senior Coroner, adjourned the hearing to another date.
The nearly 30-year-old Metropolitan Police officer has been described as someone who epitomized the role the police play in protecting others and, as the head coach of the East Grinstead Rugby Club, was said to be an “irreplaceable figure” .
Sergeant Matt Ratana was shot dead at a London police station by a handcuffed suspect
Sue Bushby, Ratana’s partner, paid tribute to their “friend, confidant, support and soulmate” in a statement issued last month.
She said: ‘There really are no words for how I feel right now about the loss of Matt; about losing someone he loved, and was so close, in such a tragic way.
‘I know that Matt touched the lives of many, many people with his kindness, patience, kindness, enthusiasm and affection.
“I had the pleasure of sharing five years of my life with this charming man, my gentle giant, with his infectious smile and big heart. I think of him with tenderness and love.
Today, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick welcomed New Zealand High Commissioner Bede Corry in London for an emotional visit to lay a wreath at the site in memory of the police officer and his compatriot.
Police said Tuesday that investigators have been unable to speak with De Zoysa, who remains at the hospital in critical condition.
Officers have been searching several areas, including abandoned buildings and 30 acres of land in Banstead, Surrey, and an address believed to be the suspect’s family home in Norbury, southwest London.
Specialized detectives lead the investigation which, according to the police, is not an anti-terrorist investigation.
Dame Cressida, Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan attend the National Police Memorial in London shortly after Ratana’s death
A second person was arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm and released on bail pending further investigations until a date in late October.
In a statement issued Tuesday, DAC Stuart Cundy said: ‘The killing of Sergeant Ratana sent shockwaves through the Metropolitan Police Service. However, his colleagues are determined to do justice for him and his family. ”
He is the eighth officer to be shot in Britain in the last 20 years.
How a suspect managed to smuggle a firearm is now the focus of an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct.
The IOPC has obtained CCTV footage from the custody center and body camera footage from the officers who were present during the shooting.
The man accused of shooting him was referred to the government’s Prevent program, aimed at preventing people from joining extremist groups and engaging in terrorist activities.
However, the police have emphasized that the investigation into the death of Sergeant Ratana is currently a murder investigation and not a counter-terrorism investigation.
De Zoysa was described as a ‘math freak’ who was ‘good with guns’ and ‘could have gone to Oxbridge’ by former friends who wrote in a yearbook for the John Fisher School, a comprehensive school for Roman Catholic children in 1000 pupils in Purley, South London. .
He attended school between 2008 and 2015.
Police continue to search the terrace house in Norbury, believed to have lived with his mother Elizabeth, a translator who ran as a green candidate in local elections, and his Sri Lankan father Channa, a former yoga teacher told be passionate about recycling who repair bikes for free
The Catholic couple, who run an events company, have five children and neighbors said police were often seen at the address.
The family home is one of two sites that are being investigated. The other is a farm in Banstead, Surrey.
The 56-acre Courtlands Farm was an ammunition dump in WWII that has multiple outbuildings, as well as a farm and adjoining bungalow.
A second suspect arrested at Norwich in Norfolk on Sunday on suspicion of supplying a firearm was released on bail pending further investigations.
He had been taken to a South London police station for questioning and was released on bail later this month.
