Sylvia Park shooting: Former negotiator explains police response to armed man
The police officer who shot dead an armed man outside New Zealand’s largest mall would have gone “straight to [their] training” as the situation unfolded, former police negotiator Lance Burdett says.
Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene, 33, died after being shot outside Sylvia Park Mall yesterday afternoon.
The father-of-five was being tracked by police after stealing an air rifle from Gun City in Penrose. He had driven erratically towards Mt Wellington Highway before running toward an entrance of the busy Auckland shopping centre carrying an air rifle, police said.
A situation like yesterday’s “straightaway puts [police officers] on alert” with little time for discussion, Burdett said.
“You’re trained to defend not just yourself, but the public. You throw yourself into danger ... this is somebody running with a rifle into a crowded place.”
That meant “you go to your training”, Burdett said.
“They might’ve called on the person if they’d seen him … they’re trained to [say] ‘Stop, armed police’. That would’ve come out immediately – I bet you someone in the crowd would have heard that.
“And if there was any risk … to either themselves or the public, they have to nullify that risk. You can’t do anything else other than incapacitate.”
Police were trained to aim for the centre mass of the body, he said.
“With crowds all around, you’ve got to be very careful with what you do. So it’s always aim for the centre mass, which is the least likelihood of missing the target.
“And it’s just to halt the situation. No police officer shoots to kill. It’s [aim] for centre mass to just stop what’s happening.”
The exact circumstances of yesterday’s shooting have not been made public.
Burdett believed if an armed person pointed a rifle towards police in response to an officer calling out to them, “then that’s justification” for shooting the person.
“It’s what’s [a threat] in the mind of the officer at the time. That’s what you’re trained to do,” Burdett said.
Police haven’t said if the air rifle Otene was carrying was loaded, but Gun City owner David Tipple told Stuff the weapon was unloaded when stolen from the store, and no pellets were taken.
Burdett also challenged anyone who argued “it’s only an air rifle”.
“Air rifles kill. It doesn’t matter what propels the pellet or the projectile … [and] this is not a pellet gun. The projectile might be called a pellet, but it’s actually a lead projectile.”
In 2008, Constable Don Wilkinson died after he was shot with a high-powered air rifle while trying to plant a tracking device during a surveillance operation in Māngere.
The police officer involved in yesterday’s incident will be well aware of what happens next – that’s part of the training, too, Burdett said.
“You are trained that the consequences of your actions are seen later on and any excessive use of force will be held to account.
“They’ll be treated fairly, but it’s a hell of a time for that officer. You don’t join the police to shoot people, let alone kill people. You join the police to help people.”
The officer faced three or four investigations, and dealing with their own conscience – even if the shooting was justifiable, which “from what I’m seeing, it is”, Burdett said.
“I’ve seen the impact of it on other officers and it’s not good. They struggle and they have to go through years of counselling, most of them.
“Yeah, they’re going to go through a hell of a time.”