Brett Forte inquest: Seven key areas to be probed by coroner

The inquest into the death of hero police officer Brett Forte will begin on Monday morning. These are the seven key elements State Coroner Terry Ryan will examine over the next two weeks.

Senior Constable Brett Forte.

A coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Toowoomba police officer Senior Constable Brett Forte will commence today.

Snr Const Forte was killed when shot by Ricky Maddison at the start of what became a stand-off at a property at Seventeen Mile in the Lockyer Valley in May, 2017.

After a tense 21-hour siege, Maddison was shot and killed as he exited a building firing at police.

The inquest, to be heard by State Coroner Magistrate Terry Ryan, will focus on seven key areas including:

■ The interaction between the Queensland Police Service and Ricky Maddison in the lead up to the death.

■ The circumstances which led to Snr Const. Forte coming into contact with Maddison on May 29, 2017, including previous attempts to locate him, as well as the decision and management of the pursuit and attempted apprehension of Maddison.

■ The appropriateness of actions by the attending police officers on May 29, 2017 in relation to Maddison;

■ The QPS response following the shooting of Snr Const. Forte, including the provision of assistance and retrieval.

■ The adequacy of the investigation into the death conducted by officers from the QPS Ethical Standards Command.

■ Whether any preventative changes to procedures or policies could reduce the likelihood of deaths occurring in similar circumstances or otherwise contribute to public health and safety or the administration of justice.

The inquiry is expected to run for two weeks.

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