A police officer says he believed he was being shot at when he opened fire on a murder suspect on a Melbourne street.
The officer, who can only be identified as Operator 64, was one of four officers who shot dead Wayne Joannou, 26, in a car at South Melbourne in February 2005.
Police say Joannou was wanted over the murder of Sydenham man Brian Bottomley.
Operator 64 told an inquest that as he approached the Toyota Camry in which Joannou was found, he saw the silver barrel of a gun being pointed at officers.
"I then heard a gun shot and saw a hole appear in the rear window," he told the Victorian Coroners Court on Wednesday.
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"I believed that I was being shot at from the Camry so I fired two or three rounds into the rear window."
The inquest has previously been told that Joannou was found with a shotgun, but did not fire the weapon.
An officer known as Operator 16 said he also saw a gun barrel being pointed at police and believed that lives were in danger.
"From my observations of the movement of the barrel, I felt we were all in peril, however my gut feeling was that Operator 64 was in the greatest peril," he said.
Operator 16 said he fired three shots from his rifle at the car.
The inquest has been told police had information before the attempted arrest that Joannou was paranoid, had shotgun ammunition and "wasn't going quietly".
All four officers gave their evidence from behind large black screens to protect their identities.
Mr Bottomley, of Sydenham, disappeared in January 2005.
Although his remains have never been found, police say he was shot in Melbourne and later dismembered with a power saw.
The inquest resumes on Friday.
