Vic: Family of boy attacks police =3D 2
12 Dec 2008 2:30 PM
Family and friends say witnesses have told them the police chased Tyler down and cornered and surrounded him in the skate park.
"He was surrounded and gunned down by four officers firing at least 6-7 shots," the statement said.
"An eyewitness confirmed Tyler patted her dog and was confronted by police and sprayed with capsicum foam, then pursued to the skate park, surrounded and hunted down.
"We look forward to a serious and thorough investigation and inquest into why Tyler was killed and to the serious nature of the attending officers' actions.
"Why was he slayed to death when it was so unnecessary?"
Police said they fired warning shots and used two hits of capsicum spray to subdue the boy, with no apparent effect.
Assistant Commissioner Tim Cartwright defended his officers.
"I don't think police were trigger happy but that's why we've got a coroner and the homicide squad to do a full investigation on (the coroner's) behalf," he told reporters.
Mr Cartwright said the police had acted consistently with their training and had not failed in their job.
"If we step through the events and the investigation we've conducted today, the members did everything they could to talk him down, they deployed OC (capsicum) spray, they backed off," he said.
"At the end of the day one of our member's lives was at risk and the three members saw fit to defend that member."
