Cop shooting was justified

The shooting of a Paeroa man who wielded a machete and sickle at police officers was justified, an independent report has found.

Michael Taylor, 57, was shot dead by officers responding to a domestic incident near Paeroa on June 10, 2016.

‘‘The officer was justified in firing the shots at Mr Taylor from inside the police car in defence of himself, because he believed on reasonable grounds that Mr Taylor was about to kill or seriously injure him,’’ Independent Police Conduct Authority Judge Colin Doherty said.

‘‘The threat from Mr Taylor was imminent, the officer could not escape and it was not practical or realistic for him to use a lower level of force.’’

That morning Taylor and his partner Natalie Avery had argued. She dialled 111 to report Taylor had thrown a coffee mug at her neck during the exchange, the report states.

Responding officers at the Paeroa police station were informed by comms that Taylor was also carrying a machete. One, officer A was armed with a Taser and driving the car, and the other, referred to as officer B had a Glock pistol and was in the passenger seat.

Both were wearing stab-resistant body armour. En route, the two officers were told that Taylor was now walking around the property holding a ‘‘machete and slasher’’.

‘‘These two officers were in the first police car to arrive at the property at 8.30am. They saw Mr Taylor standing in a paddock about 10-15 metres away, holding a machete in one hand and a sickle in the other.’’

Taylor began striding towards the patrol car – machete in his right hand and sickle in the other, each 40cm long.

Officers told the authority that Taylor began swearing at the pair, telling them to ‘‘Get the f... out of here’’ while advancing.

‘‘Officer B shouted at Mr Taylor to put his weapons down but he did not comply and appeared to be getting increasingly agitated.’’

‘‘Taylor was only five or six metres away from the police car and was still holding the machete and slasher. Officer B’s only protection was the police car’s front passenger window, which was closed.

‘‘He had no control over the movement of the car, nor was it practical for him to escape through the passenger door.’’

Fearing for his safety, the officer in the passenger seat drew his pistol and aimed it at Taylor through the window. He continued shouting for Taylor to put down his weapons.

The standoff lasted two or three seconds before Taylor hurled the machete, striking the passenger door.

‘‘Officer A began trying to release the handbrake and put the patrol car into gear but immediately after Mr Taylor had thrown the machete he ran up to the front passenger door.

‘‘Taylor continued advancing and then swung his right arm back, preparing to strike the front passenger window with the weapon he was still holding.’’

Unable to move the car, the other officer yelled, ‘‘Shoot him!’’

‘‘I was pretty sure Mr Taylor wasn’t going to stop and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to save Officer B … or be able to move the car in time,’’ he told the authority.

Believing Taylor intended to kill him with the slasher and being so close, the other officer fired four shots through the glass window of the passenger door, the report states. Two in quick succession. Then another two.

‘‘Mr Taylor actually hadn’t moved, he hadn’t stepped back so I fired again,’’ the officer told the authority.

Three shots struck Taylor, who walked to the front of the patrol car with his back to officers where he dropped forward, initially conscious.

CPR was given for 25 minutes but Taylor died at the scene from gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen.

Waikato district commander Superintendent Bruce Bird said the shooting had been ‘‘tough, traumatic and challenging’’ for all of those involved.