The fatal shooting of a man by police in New Plymouth over the weekend has brought back bad memories for those in the Taranaki region, says a New Plymouth city councillor.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Investigations are underway after Kaoss Price, 22, was shot by police after he rammed an officer's car on State Highway 3 north of New Plymouth on Saturday night.
Price died at the scene.
Police say an associate of Price had been stopped at a vehicle stop when Price drove past in a second car, turned around and rammed the marked police car.
It's the fifth fatal shooting by police in Taranaki since 2000.
New Plymouth city councillor Dinnie Moeahu has known four of the five shooting victims.
"It conjured up a lot of bad memories for us as a region but also the whānau involved and it's just heartbreaking when you hear news about a death in such a way," Moeahu told Morning Report.
"This brings up a lot of heartache, there will be whānau out there who have experienced a loved one being shot in our community, that conjures up those bad memories as well."
New Plymouth city councillor Dinnie Moeahu. Photo: Supplied
He said it is now important to let the family grieve the passing of their loved one and for the tight-knit community to come together.
"Everyone in the community will be asking questions of how things unfolded but it's just really important for all of us to make sure we give the investigation time, we give the family time and how can we give our support for the community."
A scene investigation was completed on Monday and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Police and the president of the Police Association Chris Cahill declined to be interviewed by Morning Report.
"This brings up a lot of heartache" - New Plymouth city councillor Dinnie Moeahu
Former police negotiator Lance Burdett told Midday Report it was possible that police may have had other options at their disposal, other than shooting, but it was not clear at this stage due to little detail.
"Human behaviour is we always go for the most effective method and when anyone, let alone when it's a police officer, feels threatened or is assaulted in some way, we are able to overcome that force with force at the time we believe to be reasonable in the circumstances.
"And that's always viewed in a court later on, usually in a clear light of day where people are calm.
"A vehicle is absolutely a weapon, what the person had in their hand in their hand after that, whether they had a weapon, we just don't know, and if it was, well what was the options we did have with us?"
"These things are terrible, people don't go to shoot to kill people, that's a misnomer out there" - Former police negotiator Lance Burdett
Police shoot to incapacitate not to kill, but that meant aiming at the chest and stomach which could lead to fatalities, he said.
Three investigations are usually done into these shootings, he said.
Kaoss Price is the 40th person to shot and killed by police in New Zealand since 1990.
So far, police have not been found at fault in any of them.