Attribute to Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers
Police acknowledge the findings of a coronial inquest by Coroner Greig into the death of David Cerven on 2nd August 2015 in Myers Park.
The findings of the coronial inquest are consistent with investigations by Police and the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), which concludes that the actions of Mr Cerven, who failed to comply with repeated Police instructions to surrender to authorities, contributed to his death.
The inquest also accepts that the Police officers involved believed Mr Cerven had a gun in his hands and that they were likely to be fired upon, leading to their decision to fire shots in his direction in order to protect themselves from what they genuinely believed was a clear threat.
These findings follow investigations by Police and the IPCA which found that the officers’ actions in shooting Mr Cerven were justified.
“This was an extremely challenging and tragic outcome for all where my staff had to make split-second decisions under considerable pressure and had to consider not only the risks to themselves, but the risk to the general public.
“This was not an outcome that any of my police officers wanted. This was a tragedy for everyone involved and my sympathies remain with the family of Mr Cerven. My support also continues for my courageous staff who were involved in this extremely volatile and high-pressure incident,” says Assistant Commissioner Chambers.
ENDS
Police Media Centre