Two police officers' decision to shoot a man who was holding a knife to a woman's throat was justified, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found.
Sam Fakalago was shot dead on June 7 last year after reports that a man was beating a pregnant woman on her driveway in Newlands, Wellington, threatening to stab her before dragging her inside.
When officers arrived at the scene, a standoff began, with Fakalago barricading himself inside a house - threatening to shoot at them.
During the standoff, the man told officers they were "gonna get tooled", saying: "If you guys come in here, I’m gonna come out with a heavy hitter” - referencing an AR-15 assault rifle.
"It’s the police. We have the house surrounded. You just need to give yourself up,” an officer yelled from outside.
While waiting for the armed offenders squad to arrive, Fakalago emerged from the back door with a woman, holding a knife to her throat.
“I genuinely thought he was gonna kill her, like he was pressing the knife against her throat, tryna rip her back into the house,” one of the officers told the IPCA.
The officer said the two struggled as she tried to break from his grip.
"One minute they’d be up high, and then the next minute they’d kind of drop down a bit, and the knife never moved. Just their bodies and how they were twisting.
"She was screaming, and he was just pulling her back in with the knife to her throat.”
Fakalago refused to drop the knife when asked by police. To protect the woman, two officers fired four shots each.
While first aid was provided at the scene, Fakalago died.
“I couldn’t come up with any other way that we were gonna be able to stop him,” one of the officers said.
In their decision, the IPCA said they were "satisfied that the officers needed to act immediately to prevent Mr Fakalago from seriously injuring or killing the woman".
"The opportunity to pause or deploy less lethal options was not available to them,” authority chair, Judge Kenneth Johnston KC said.
In a statement this morning, police acknowledged the watchdog's decision.
"This was a complex and rapidly evolving incident in which Mr Fakalago put a woman in serious danger and made violent threats toward police.
"Mr Fakalago held a knife to the woman’s throat, dragging her towards him. Police made repeated appeals for him to release the knife and the woman. However, he failed to do so.
"Officers considered the options available to them, and Mr Fakalago was subsequently shot by Police."
Wellington district commander superintendent Corrie Parnell said the officers were forced to make a "last resort" decision.
"Police are forced to make quick decisions to keep people safe, and the decision to use lethal force is not something our officers ever want to do.
“I am confident the officers involved took the only option available to them in the circumstances to ensure the woman’s safety and prevent further harm.”
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