Officer run over, man dead after shots fired
A man has died after he ran over a police officer and was then shot at by police.
Armed police rushed to a home in Bangor Rd, Darfield, shortly after 4pm yesterday after reports a man had threatened a family member with a gun.
Canterbury district commander Superintendent John Price said the man left the house and then reportedly fired the gun a ‘‘number of times’’ and attempted to gain entry again by shooting at the door. The relative remained inside.
When police arrived they saw a man getting into a vehicle and leaving the property.
Two police officers tried to stop the vehicle by laying road spikes. As they were doing so, the man drove the vehicle towards one of the officers, hitting him and causing a serious leg injury.
‘‘At this point, the driver of the vehicle was shot at by police,’’ Price said.
‘‘The man was located deceased in his car on Bangor Rd a short time later. The circumstances of the man’s death are unclear at this stage and police will not be able to make comment on that until further inquiries, including a post mortem and scene examination, have taken place.’’
The police officer hit by the car was in hospital undergoing surgery last night.
‘‘This has been an extremely traumatic event, both for the man’s family and for the officers involved. Police are working to ensure that all those involved receive the necessary welfare and support,’’ Price said.
It was unlikely further comment would be provided until today, he said.
A Bangor Rd resident said he heard two bangs which sounded ‘‘a bit like a tyre blowing up’’ at a nearby property shortly after 4pm. About 20 minutes later he heard ‘‘a volley’’ of about half a dozen gunshots.
The man said he had not been out to the road to see what had happened. A police officer told him he was unable to leave his home because the area was a crime scene.
A Darfield resident, who did not want to be named, said she heard three loud bangs.
‘‘I thought it was someone banging something.’’
Another resident said he heard two shots being fired before police arrived soon after.
‘‘The shots sounded quite close. It was not a small calibre rifle.’’
Bangor Rd, on State Highway 77 towards Mt Hutt, was closed as police attended the event.
The afternoon was wet, cloudy and dark.
A man at the scene whose family lived near Bangor Rd said his family heard a gunshot and was worried a local police officer could be injured.
‘‘We know the cops out here, it’s a community,’’ he said.