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Gargasoulas didn't plan Bourke St massacre, detective tells inquest
By Melissa Iaria
The detective who tried to persuade James Gargasoulas to surrender before he ploughed into pedestrians on Bourke Street believes the deluded driver decided to carry out his murderous rampage at the last moment.
St Kilda Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner was pleading via phone with Gargasoulas to hand himself in, after he stabbed his brother, as several police units followed him around Melbourne.
James Gargasoulas on Swanston Street with Senior Detective Murray Gentner following closely behind in one of three unmarked police cars.
Hours later, he drove into the CBD and mowed down pedestrians on Bourke Street Mall, killing six and injuring 27 others.
Senior Detective Gentner told an inquest into the January 20, 2017 tragedy he did not believe Gargasoulas planned the killings until he reached Bourke Street.
"I still don't believe to this day he had planned it," he said on Tuesday.
Senior Detective Gentner was recalled to the witness box to answer criticisms in a police review of the incident by Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana.
Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner.Credit: Joe Armao
The detective said in his previous dealings with Gargasoulas, he rambled about delusions, but not any intention to go to the city and harm people.
"He was talking about comets and going into bunkers at the state library, but there was no specific threat against persons," he said.
"That would've given rise for us to escalate further."
But any action would have to be weighed against risk, he said.
"In these situations you have to weigh up the risk you're creating for the public to the risk he's attempting," he added.
"It's all about balancing the information at hand."
Senior Detective Gentner said it was difficult to say what lessons were learned after the murders, but having more resources may have changed what happened.
"It's a very difficult thing to answer, because it's hard to say what would've changed what happened," he said.
"Communications, planning and having resources as to what we were asking for at that time certainly would've helped us and potentially changed an outcome."
Gargasoulas, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was jailed in February last year for at least 46 years.
The inquest continues.
AAP