NSW police admit to making ‘very unfortunate’ wrong claim after officer shot man dead | New South Wales

A man shot dead after running at a NSW police officer with two knives was not recognized by police despite a “very unfortunate” claim to the contrary by the police’s assistant commissioner immediately after the incident, a coroner has said.

Steve Pampalian, 41, was shot three times by a police officer in the driveway of his home on a quiet suburban street in Sydney’s North Willoughby district on May 25, 2023, after suffering a psychotic episode.

He was the second of four vulnerable people, along with Clare Nowland, Jesse Deacon and Krista Kach, to die in separate incidents in successive months after interacting with police in 2023.. The cases have led to increased scrutiny of how police respond to mental health incidents.

Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker told reporters at the first press conference that Pampalian was known to police in connection with the incident. “Yes, the police know him,” he said in response to a question. “But I would probably describe it as pretty minimal.”

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But on Friday, at the long-awaited inquest into Pampalian’s death, Det Insp Trent Power confirmed Pampalian had no criminal record and the comments were untrue.

“This is very unfortunate,” deputy state coroner Kasey Pearce said in response.

In the months after Pampalian’s killing, the family had asked police to retract the statement, saying it led people to think he was “guilty.” In response to questions from Guardian Australia about their request in September 2023, the force said it could not comment because the shooting was the subject of an ongoing investigation.

‘Gentle giant with a calm presence’

On Thursday, Danny Sullivan, an assistant professor in the investigation and an expert in forensic psychiatry, concluded that Pampalian likely fell into psychosis within six months. Neither his close-knit family nor his doctor noticed anything unusual, and he had never experienced anything like this before.

Sullivan said Pampalian’s psychosis, which appeared to be a religious delusion, was in no way related to the anxiety disorder for which he has been taking antidepressants every day since 2014.

On Friday, Pampalian’s brother, Eddie, described him as a “gentle giant with a calm demeanor” and the “star in the eyes” of his two nephews. He knew Pampalian lived with anxiety, but said even in the worst cases, it only manifested as a panic attack.

During the investigation, it was learned that Pampalian left the house at 10.30 on the morning his parents were shot. They said Pampalian looked normal and they thought he was off work with the flu.

The inquest heard that on the day of Pampalian’s death, several neighbors called police after seeing him muttering to himself and chasing a woman down the road. A neighbor said he saw Pampalian try to break into another house before breaking into one on the street; He didn’t realize it was Pampalian’s own house.

Police thought they were participating in an active break and enter, not a mental health incident. The inquest heard first responder Const Jason Bryan, who retired after the incident, shot Pampalian three times and ran towards him with two knives after he suddenly appeared meters away.

Sullivan said the investigation “did not see any way in which police had the opportunity to engage in discussion or attempt to alleviate their concerns or distress.”

“I also believe there is no information available that would help police approach this situation,” he said.

Police made some changes

The inquest heard the force had changed many of its policies since 2023.

Police officers’ body-worn cameras now automatically turn on when an officer draws their gun or Taser. The action will also turn on the camera of any officer standing within a 10-meter radius.

Bryan did not turn on his body camera before shooting Pampalian and told the investigation he did not have time to do so until after the incident.

Police also increased the frequency of mental health training for officers to annual in-person training.

“[The change] came as a result [of a] Det Supt Kirsty Hales told the inquest there were “numerous critical incidents and criminal matters relating to mental health”.

Pearce cried Friday as the Pampalian family’s attorney read a statement on behalf of Eddie, who has been involved in the investigation all week.

“Not only our family, but many people were affected by this tragedy,” the statement said.

“Steve was deeply loved by his family and friends. He was known as a gentle giant with his calm demeanor and warm sense of humor. Steve had a way of making people feel at ease.”

The statement stated that he often talked to one of his two nephews.

“One of the hardest moments after his passing was hearing him cry and being told that he would never know all the new things that were happening in his life now.”