Police officers who shot dead man in Footscray did not have Tasers, union says

Two police officers who shot dead a knife-wielding man in Footscray on Thursday night were not equipped with Tasers, the union claims, as an investigation into the death gets underway.

Two police officers who shot dead a knife-wielding man in Melbourne’s inner west on Thursday night were not equipped with Tasers, the union claims.

The officers instructed the 35-year-old man to drop his weapon before he charged at them, leading the two members to draw their firearms and shoot.

The armed man – of no fixed address – died on a pedestrian crossing on Albert St in Footscray.

According to Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt, the officers were not equipped with Tasers during the incident.

“All officers are required to carry capsicum spray, however not all officers yet have access to Taser,” Mr Gatt said on Saturday.

“The process to equip police with Taser requires a mammoth task of retraining and preparing the entire police force for its safe use.

“When police don’t have these tools, they have fewer options, and fewer options can mean the risk of serious injury or death increases dramatically.”

The Police Association has campaigned for every frontline police officer to have a Taser, but only 58 per cent of officers are currently equipped with them.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said she could not provider further details given homicide squad detectives were investigating the matter with oversight from professional standards command.

Police at the scene in Footscray where the armed man was shot. Picture: Supplied

The man was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

But Victoria Police Commander Tim Tully on Friday backed the sergeant and constable who fired the shots.

He said the pair would not be stood down during the investigation.

“In these circumstances the members deemed that the firearms were appropriate,” he said.

“I have certainly informed both members that they have my full support with respect to their actions that they’ve been forced to take.

“This is a tragic incident for all involved.”

Graphic video from the scene shows the deceased man laying on the pedestrian crossing as one of the police officers communicates on his radio.

Several others were heard shouting and screaming at police as they attempted to control the scene.

Whether or not the man bought the knife from a nearby supermarket will form part of the investigation.

Police speak to people at the scene. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Police on Albert and Paisley streets after the shooting. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Witness Catherine Gold, who was at a nearby bar, said she heard gunfire ring out in the streets about 9pm.

Ms Gold said she alerted Maribyrnong mayor Pradeep Tiwari, who was also at the bar at the time.

“I came out from washing my hands and I heard this ‘bah-bah’,” she said.

“I thought someone was on the run or something and then we saw the body.

“There were police lines everywhere, they cordoned it off and they were trying to resuscitate him.”

Mr Tiwari said it was an extremely volatile scene.

“There was an individual with a knife on them,” he said.

“It seemed that the man was approaching the police, and whatever the police have seen they have decided to fire at him”.

A witness described the moment the two officers opened fire as “senseless”, claiming there was “little to no de-escalation” before the shots.

The man said he was in his car at the intersection of Paisley and Albert streets when the incident occurred.

“It was ten seconds of shouting then probably the same amount of shooting … two guns were shooting,” he said.

The witness said the man was well known in the area and had never appeared threatening.

“He goes around to every shop and says hello to people … I’ve never seen him violent,” he said.

“He was always smiling.”

The damaged bus stop in Footscray. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A group is accused of abusing and throwing bottles at police after the shooting. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Just an hour after emergency services cleared the scene, a man – armed with what appeared to be a bus emergency exit hammer – smashed the glass at the bus stop on the same corner where the fatal shooting had occurred.

The man continued to wreak havoc, smashing two more bus stops and the door of the Commonwealth Bank before being arrested by police.

Residents, traders and visitors of Footscray can expect an extra police presence over the coming days.

It has been the centre of a recent specialised drug operation in recent weeks.

Premier Jacinta Allan said an investigation into the incident was under way.

“Obviously this is a very distressing set of circumstances for this individual’s family but also more broadly for the local community who would be really concerned at what’s gone on,” she said.

Asked why police used a firearm rather than a taser, Ms Allan said: “It’s important to let that investigation happen and not presuppose the operational decisions that are taken by Victoria Police in what was no doubt … a very difficult and potentially dangerous set of circumstances.”

Originally published as Police officers who shot dead man in Footscray did not have Tasers, union says