Scores of texts sent before fatal shooting
An unarmed man who was fatally shot by police in Auckland two years ago ‘‘became emotional’’ after learning he had been linked to the robbery of a liquor store, an inquest has heard.
David Cerven was shot dead in Myers Park on August 2, 2015.
The 21-year-old Slovakian called police to say he was armed and asked them to meet him at the central Auckland park.
After 20 minutes of negotiating with officers, he was fatally shot.
On Monday, an inquest was told of the exchanges that took place between Cerven, police and his girlfriend in the lead-up to his death. Cerven exchanged more than 100 text messages with his girlfriend soon before he died.
On the same day, Cerven confessed to her that he had robbed a liquor shop.
Detective Andrew Saunders told the inquest that Cerven had become emotional after seeing a media report naming him as a person of interest in one of three aggravated robberies of liquor stores. At 7.20pm Cerven called the police. A dispatcher took the call and said that Cerven was upset that he had been accused of the robberies.
When four unarmed officers arrived at Myers Park, Cerven made himself known to them.
‘‘You know I’m the one you’re looking for ... but this time I do have a gun.’’ The officers shone a torch light on Cerven and asked him to get his hands out of his pockets, put his hands on his head, and drop to the ground.
Officers 12 and 16 - who arrived after the original four officers armed themselves. Officer 12 armed himself with a glock pistol and officer 16 armed himself with a bushmaster rifle.
They approached the scene and yelled out loud and clear that they were armed. Verbal negotiations continued at this point.
As soon as officers 12 and 16 challenged Cerven, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and appeared to be taking a gun out of his pocket and pointing it at the officers. At this point the officers fired their guns.
Officer 12 fired three shots, none of which struck Cerven.
Officer 16 fired five shots, three of which struck: One in his abdomen, which was fatal, another in his jaw and another striking fragments into his leg.
Cerven was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.57pm.
On the night, girlfriend Eva Vyrvova sent messages asking Cerven to contact her.
He replied, ‘‘I am on the run my dear. I want to be free just for this one day. I will confess tomorrow. I will need to turn the phone off because they are monitoring everything. I love you Buby, please forgive me everything ... Please get yourself home. Tell the parents that I am sorry.’’
At 6.54pm Cerven sent his final text to Vyrvova: ‘‘I will destroy the life of my family now do not destroy the life of yours.
‘‘When I am in jail, I don’t want to be in contact with anybody, Buby, and I am ashamed.
‘‘Don’t suffer evka, I love you, it is not your fault.’’
The incident was previously described by Coroner Katharine Greig as a technical suicide.
Cerven arrived in New Zealand in March 2015 with Vyrvova on a one-year working holiday visa and found work as a labourer.
Vyrvova described him as a ‘‘very happy person’’ and not someone to be sad or depressed.
In September 2016, the Independent Police Conduct Authority found the police were justified in shooting Cerven.
However, the authority ruled that the officers’ actions ‘‘precipitated Cerven’s response’’ and found there were a number of other actions the officers could have taken, including furthering their negotiations with the unarmed Cerven.