A police officer was justified in shooting at a man who fired a shotgun at police during a siege in Taranaki, the police watchdog has found.
The ruling is part of an Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation into the incident on March 27, 2023.
The man, identified only as Mr X by the authority, was being pursued by police in Stratford when he opened fire with a shotgun at the officers behind him.
During the pursuit, he yelled at police: "F*** off, or I’ll shoot you."
His car was spiked twice and was moving slowly but "still dangerously" as police tried to stop him.
He eventually abandoned the vehicle – and ran away on foot.
Members of the armed offenders squad tracked the man to an address on Achilles St. There, officers saw the door slam and one man still outside surrendered to police.
The long, tense stand-off in Stratford began last night after a vehicle fled from officers. (Source: 1News)
While he was being handcuffed, a loud bang could be heard coming from one of the windows.
"Shots fired, shots fired," an officer yelled.
A woman who lived at the house then ran towards the police. After this, two more shots were fired from the bedroom window.
Spotting a figure in the window, one of the officers aimed his rifle, preparing to shoot – the person pulled back, and the officer didn’t pull the trigger.
When another officer spotted the man raising his weapon, the officer fired two shots towards the bedroom window but missing the person inside.
Around three and a half minutes later, another missed shot was fired at the house as the officer was "confident" the man was aiming at him.
Fourteen hours after police first arrived, the property was surrounded, and the man surrendered – throwing his shotgun out the window.
He was taken into custody, without further incident.
The man has been holed up in a Stratford property following a "fleeing driver" incident. (Source: Supplied)
An IPCA investigation ruled the officer was "justified" in his decision to shoot at the house.
"In our view, the satisfactory conclusion of the siege – with Mr X eventually surrendering and no further shots fired by police – indicates a well-executed operation, showing the benefits of a patient and planned approach to a potentially dangerous situation.
"In addition, families who were evacuated by police during the siege were complimentary of police actions in how they communicated with them and assured their safety."
'Officers did everything they could' — Police Commander
Police acknowledged the findings, with Central District Commander Superintendent Scott Fraser calling the callout a “lengthy and demanding incident”.
"Our officers have to act in a way to protect not only themselves but the public," he said.
"Due to the duration of this incident, specialist staff from within the district as well as outside of the district were called to assist."
Fraser said he was incredibly proud of the officers involved for their handling of an episode that lasted a significant period of time.
"The responding staff did everything they could to reach a resolution without any harm," he said.
"The decision to discharge a firearm is one that no police officer ever wants to make. This further shows how unpredictable these jobs can be, within a matter of time, lives can be at risk."
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