Shot man didn't move towards cops: witness

A relative of a man fatally shot by police on the Gold Coast has told a coronial inquest the man didn't move towards police before shots were fired.

A witness to the fatal shooting of a man on the Gold Coast denies seeing him step towards police before they opened fire.

The relative of Troy Foster, 32, was standing on the driveway outside Foster's mother's Southport home on November 24, 2014 when Foster was shot dead by two officers after allegedly threatening them with a knife.

The witness, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told an inquest into Foster's death that he had both arms raised and was attempting to step back towards his mother when he was shot.

When it was put to the witness she had previously stated seeing Foster step towards the officers and threaten them with the knife, she denied that version of events.

"I know he didn't (threaten police)," the witness told the coroner's inquest at the Southport District Court.

"He had his hands up. His body was facing police."

A psychologist who assessed Foster at a hospital the morning of the shooting told the inquest he wasn't, in her opinion, suicidal.

Foster had been taken to hospital the night before he died by two police officers after crashing his car outside a service station on the northern end of the Gold Coast.

Both officers told the inquest Foster had spoken about ending his life and mentioned he wanted to "find a cliff" to drive off.

Foster had also attempted to drive his vehicle into a motorway guardrail, the officers said.

A nurse who handled Foster's admission to the hospital that evening also told the inquest Foster had said he'd crashed the car with the intent of causing himself harm.

Psychologist Carla Ferrari told the inquest, however, during her assessment of Foster the following morning he'd denied deliberately crashing his car.

Ms Ferrari said while Foster had a history of drug-induced psychosis and suicidal thoughts, he wasn't at immediate risk of self-harm.

"He did not mention he had any plan or intention to carry out those thoughts in the immediate future," she told the court. "The suicidal thoughts were not an acute problem."

The court also heard a police dispatch call from the night of the shooting.

The recording listed a dispatch officer briefing police Foster was armed with a knife and had appeared to have assaulted his mother.

Foster, who had a history of substance abuse and violence issues, was shot multiple times shortly after police arrived at his mother's home.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world