Motorway shooting officer 'should be tried'

Well worded, Jane,

100% correct!

It would be nice to wait for the evidence before condemning or exonerating the police officer. In the meantime he should be given the benefit of the doubt, with the emphasis on the criminal who caused the incident.

If the police genuinely feared for the safety of the driver, as strongly suggested, then the death of the courier was an extremely tragic accident. Equally it may have been a misjudgement, or even criminal negligence, if the circumstances did not warrant it. Since three officers fired this would suggest more the former - especially as target was (allegedly)high on methampetamine and therefore extremely dangerous.

I personally would not want to be in the position of making that call.

My sympathies go with the family although I think/hope my ire would be on the criminal rather than the police if someone in my family was hurt or killed this way.

As for the police association and PR - good on them. That is what I would expect them to do, sympathise with the family and protect the officer. The Police Association in particular will need to support him through this ordeal regardless of the outcome.

Tau,

I didn't know you but i would have liked to.

This is for you.

Vanish the sun, dim the stars and the moon, You are here, Our minds and our hearts, not yet lost a friend. You have passed thru a door that, even after passing, there must be more. Your presence no longer, no joyous laugh, no tap on the shoulder, So does faith lose its spark, in the bitter darkness, few can bear. We think of you, and our hearts start to flare.

You stand beside those that remember, love, and respect you. Let the birds sing your name, the Pigeons, the Tui's,

Let the ocean shout out your name!...... Let the wind whisper and finally tame.

Now with muffled drum and white dress best, bring out our Tau, let him finally rest.

Rest in Peace Tau,

I agree with this comment. Why do the media search high and low for some derrogatory statement from a former police officer? Especially one who studied Russian during the Cold War era? Ross Meurant knows these investigations take time and the forensic scientists find conclusive evidence. Let the investigation begin without Ross Meurant's "fly of the handle" comment.

The Police were in a precarious situation here. A nutcase on the loose with a firearm which was loaded and being fired indiscriminately. What would have happened if the Police hadn't attempted to shoot the offender? He might have killed several people. He was obviously off his head on drugs because he claims he can't even remember the day. If the Police are afraid to shoot at offenders in situations such as this because they're afraid of ending up in court, then crime has won a massive victory. It's very sad indeed that the young father was killed and I have no doubt the Policeman who fired the shot feels terrible about the tragedy. I support the police and the pursuit of justice.

Why is Ross Meurant's opinion sought? It is some years since he was a policeman and when he was he was one of the kingpins of the "Red Quad" during the Springbok Tour, and not well liked. He seems to have an axe to grind. It was very unfortunate that young Tau was shot and my deepest sympathy goes to his family. I also feel sorry for the member of the AOS who inadvertently fired the fatal shot. I am more than sure that it was not a deliberate action to kill an innocent person.

Just another example of how poor police training in this country is. The number of times the authorities in this country are required to fire guns compared to the ammount of lives lost is an absolute disgrace. I think the shooter should be stood down to a desk position but he should not be required to stand trial.

It's not about what the AOS officer intended to do, what he was ordered or expected to do - it's actually about what he did.

What he did was fire an extremely accurate optically sighted assault rifle, at close range, at the wrong person. The firer clearly had a good sight picture because it sounds like the victim was felled instantly with one shot. Naitoko was not killed by a stray bullet; he was killed by a bullet fired by a trained AOS officer. If AOS officers are firing stray bullets we have a calamity on our doorstep.

The concern about the multitude of investigations now underway into the policeman firing a weapon and killing an innocent bystander, is that none of them, as a matter course, will finish in a Court hearing. In many other countries with which we might wish to be compared, a police officer in this situation would be immediately stood down and charged with manslaughter. The Courts would decide guilt or innocence and until we can get to this kind of neutral process, the public will never be sure about what happened.

The media is the oxygen of publicity and Greg O'Conner's now well rehearsed '...its not our fault, leave the coppers alone, its a tragic accident, he's just doing his job...' was again right on cue. He has succeeded in muddying the water and the gulable media have given him pure oxygen by the tank. It's not about a '..give the cops a break..' self righteous kind of attitude. The Police have the weapons and the legal power to use them to enforce the law - they must be more accountable than everyone else, and the people who are saying this outcome represents an acceptable level of risk to the community are not being realistic. It is not the fault of the Police that they can investigate themselves, that is the law; it will only change when New Zealanders reach a point of saying that scenario is ridiculous. Reading these posts I'd say that is decades away.

End of the day the police messed up and now should face the consequences with a trial. No one is above the law and this should be decided by judge and jury. Personally what if this was your son or mother I would want to do whatever it took for revenge on the police.

I don't think the police can win. If they didn't shoot and the offender shot Mr Naitako then people would be complaining asking why he didn't shoot. The police are here to protect us and when they try to they get slagged off for it.

I think the police did what they had to do and it was a very unfortunate accident that he will have to live with for the rest of his life but it was not a criminal offence.

Give the Police a break and let them do their job as one day you might need them!!