Wollongong shooting: Inmate who stole prison officer’s gun identified
A female Corrective Services officer remains off work after an inmate stole her gun and shot himself. The “medium risk” prisoner has been identified as an investigation is under way.
Police & Courts
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A female Corrective Services officer remains off work after a prisoner stole her gun and shot himself during a dramatic chase through Wollongong’s CBD.
The woman and her male partner were transporting the prisoner, who the Sunday Telegraph can reveal was 37-year-old Matthew Lothian, to a medical appointment from Nowra Correctional Facility on Wednesday.
Once at the car park in Piccadilly, the officers opened the back door of the van when the prisoner launched at the female officer, taking hold of her gun.
He fired several shots before running off down a ramp, shot at a passing police dog squad vehicle and then turning the gun on himself.
Police sources say the investigation would largely be handled by Corrective Services NSW.
It is believed the officers will do a walk-through of the scene next week.
Lothian was considered a “medium risk” prisoner, sources said, who was serving time for a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The female officer hasn’t returned to work since the incident.
A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said the organisation was “committed to supporting all staff involved, their colleagues and families, and the man’s family”.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while the matter is being investigated and goes before the Coroner.”
Sources close to the case say an issue likely to be raised in any coronial inquiry was the type of weapons issued to corrections officers.
“If corrections officers were issued with Glock self-loading pistols instead of outdated Smith & Wesson 38 revolvers there s much less chance of this sort of thing happening,” a source said.
“Glock holsters issued to police have double-retention mechanisms which make it very difficult for anybody to take an officers’ firearm.”
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