Tauranga shooting of a man by police in defence of hostages justified, report finds
16 Dec, 2020 09:09 PM
7 minutes to read
Police on the scene at Oriana Crescent last year. Photo / File
The police officer who fired the shot that killed a man holding his young children at knifepoint during a 15-hour hostage siege in Tauranga has spoken of the moment their eyes locked before he pulled the trigger.
Findings released by the Independent Police Conduct Authority today revealed the officer was no more than three metres from the man when the shot was fired at 2.55pm on November 24 last year. The shooting was at a property on Oriana Cres, Bellevue.
SunLive - Tongariro search handled professionally - The Bay s News First
sunlive.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunlive.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SunLive - Police justified in fatal Tauranga shooting
sunlive.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sunlive.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The house on Oriana Crescent, in Tauranga, where Ethan Kerapa was shot dead by police (FILE). The Armed Offenders Squad, Special Tactics Group and police negotiators all attended and negotiators were unable to persuade him to come out, or allow his daughters, aged six and four, out. It was an extremely hot day in Tauranga, and by early afternoon police received medical advice about the potentially deadly effects of the heat on the children, who were in an upstairs room with no ventilation. As far as police knew, the children had not had any food or water since the incident began, even though they had left bottles of water outside the bedroom door.