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'We don't shoot at tyres': police call for calm following Kings Cross shooting
Stephanie Gardiner
April 23, 2012 - 12:40PM
Six males, from Sydney's western suburbs, were in the car that allegedly ran over a 29-year-old woman and hit a pedestrian on Bayswater Road about 4am on Saturday.
The group were allegedly trying to flee after two officers recognised the youths driving the car.
"In a bid to halt the car, police opened fire, hitting the 14-year-old male driver in the chest and arm, and a passenger, Troy Taylor, 18, in the neck." Photo: Jacky Ghossein
Police said the officers shot at the car in a bid to stop it, shooting the 14-year-old driver in the chest and arm and a passenger, 18-year-old Troy Taylor, in the neck.
Video footage taken by a witness and shown by several media outlets over the weekend appeared to show a police officer hitting Mr Taylor after dragging him out of the car and on to the street.
The girlfriend of the eldest passenger, 24-year-old Matthew Dalton from Mount Druitt, told the Herald that police should have dealt with the situation better by shooting at the car's tyres and warned of an uprising among young members of the indigenous community.
The woman also pointed to the case of T.J. Hickey who was impaled on a fence and died in 2004 after being followed by police, prompting riots in Redfern.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said the police relationship with the Redfern community would not be permanently damaged by the shooting.
He called on people to carefully judge the whole incident "in context".
"I think it's important for us to keep calm about this," Mr Murdoch told ABC Radio this morning.
"What we've seen in the media over the weekend hasn't done anyone any favours, I don't think."
He said it was a "massive" decision for police to fire shots in any situation.
"I think we need to just bear a couple of things in mind.
"Number one: police don't shoot at tyres. If we are going to draw our firearms that is an absolute last resort for us and we draw our firearms to protect ourselves and others.
"We don't shoot at tyres."
He also urged the men's family and friends to await the outcome of an investigation.
Mr Murdoch did admit the shooting had not done much good for the police relationship with the Redfern community.
"But our relationship with the Redfern community is fantastic, I would suggest the best it's ever been.
"The community leaders in Redfern have a very strong relationship with our local area commander, Superintendent Luke Freudenstein, and his staff do a fantastic job.
"That relationship has been built over many years on mutual trust and respect and I don't think that relationship will be irrevocably damaged as a consequence of what happened on the weekend.
"It won't do it any good, but it's certainly not going to be fatal."
On Saturday the 14-year-old boy's barrister Christine Nash said the incident had nothing to do with Redfern.
"The family do not want any more troubles stirred in Redfern. This happened at Kings Cross. It's totally unrelated."
The Indigenous Social Justice Association has organised a rally at the front of NSW Parliament House at 1.30pm tomorrow.
Spokesman Raul Bassi said the rally is a reaction to the incident on Saturday morning and other recent police shootings.
"We cannot trust the investigation when police investigate themselves," Mr Bassi said.
"We are demanding independent investigations."
Speakers will include association members, while families of the men arrested in Kings Cross and representatives from The Greens have been invited to take part.
Mr Dalton, from Mount Druitt, was charged with being in a stolen car and was refused bail in Parramatta Court yesterday.
Other passengers, aged 14 and 16, also faced court charged with being in a stolen vehicle and were granted conditional bail.
A 13-year-old will appear in Bidura Children's court next month.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/we-dont-s...ss-shooting-20120423-1xfoq.html#ixzz1sqs6PpoR
Stephanie Gardiner
April 23, 2012 - 12:40PM
Six males, from Sydney's western suburbs, were in the car that allegedly ran over a 29-year-old woman and hit a pedestrian on Bayswater Road about 4am on Saturday.
The group were allegedly trying to flee after two officers recognised the youths driving the car.
"In a bid to halt the car, police opened fire, hitting the 14-year-old male driver in the chest and arm, and a passenger, Troy Taylor, 18, in the neck." Photo: Jacky Ghossein
Police said the officers shot at the car in a bid to stop it, shooting the 14-year-old driver in the chest and arm and a passenger, 18-year-old Troy Taylor, in the neck.
Video footage taken by a witness and shown by several media outlets over the weekend appeared to show a police officer hitting Mr Taylor after dragging him out of the car and on to the street.
The girlfriend of the eldest passenger, 24-year-old Matthew Dalton from Mount Druitt, told the Herald that police should have dealt with the situation better by shooting at the car's tyres and warned of an uprising among young members of the indigenous community.
The woman also pointed to the case of T.J. Hickey who was impaled on a fence and died in 2004 after being followed by police, prompting riots in Redfern.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said the police relationship with the Redfern community would not be permanently damaged by the shooting.
He called on people to carefully judge the whole incident "in context".
"I think it's important for us to keep calm about this," Mr Murdoch told ABC Radio this morning.
"What we've seen in the media over the weekend hasn't done anyone any favours, I don't think."
He said it was a "massive" decision for police to fire shots in any situation.
"I think we need to just bear a couple of things in mind.
"Number one: police don't shoot at tyres. If we are going to draw our firearms that is an absolute last resort for us and we draw our firearms to protect ourselves and others.
"We don't shoot at tyres."
He also urged the men's family and friends to await the outcome of an investigation.
Mr Murdoch did admit the shooting had not done much good for the police relationship with the Redfern community.
"But our relationship with the Redfern community is fantastic, I would suggest the best it's ever been.
"The community leaders in Redfern have a very strong relationship with our local area commander, Superintendent Luke Freudenstein, and his staff do a fantastic job.
"That relationship has been built over many years on mutual trust and respect and I don't think that relationship will be irrevocably damaged as a consequence of what happened on the weekend.
"It won't do it any good, but it's certainly not going to be fatal."
On Saturday the 14-year-old boy's barrister Christine Nash said the incident had nothing to do with Redfern.
"The family do not want any more troubles stirred in Redfern. This happened at Kings Cross. It's totally unrelated."
The Indigenous Social Justice Association has organised a rally at the front of NSW Parliament House at 1.30pm tomorrow.
Spokesman Raul Bassi said the rally is a reaction to the incident on Saturday morning and other recent police shootings.
"We cannot trust the investigation when police investigate themselves," Mr Bassi said.
"We are demanding independent investigations."
Speakers will include association members, while families of the men arrested in Kings Cross and representatives from The Greens have been invited to take part.
Mr Dalton, from Mount Druitt, was charged with being in a stolen car and was refused bail in Parramatta Court yesterday.
Other passengers, aged 14 and 16, also faced court charged with being in a stolen vehicle and were granted conditional bail.
A 13-year-old will appear in Bidura Children's court next month.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/we-dont-s...ss-shooting-20120423-1xfoq.html#ixzz1sqs6PpoR
