An investigation by the police watchdog has found an officer was justified in shooting a man who had been holding a screwdriver to a woman’s throat.
The findings come after an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) investigation into the death of 36-year-old Tane Wipa, who died of a cardiac arrest after being shot by police at a rural property in Wainuiomata near Wellington in November last year.
The details of the incident were released by the IPCA today.
Police were first called to the Coast Road property at around 11.45am on 16 November 2023 after witnesses saw the man assaulting his partner on the driveway.
When officers arrived at 12.03pm, they found Wipa holding a screwdriver to the woman’s throat. Police would spend the next hour appealing for him to let her go.
Officers described Wipa’s behaviour as “erratic”. They said he would become heightened and aggressive, grabbing the woman by her head, neck and waist. He would push the screwdriver against her neck and use her to shield himself from police.
According to one officer, Wipa shouted: “I can’t go back to jail bro! I’m not going back to jail! We are both gonna die here today!”
Information on the police database showed the man had a history of family violence and was known to carry knives and other weapons. It also revealed he had mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies.
Officers spent nearly an hour pleading with Wipa to free the woman and put the screwdriver down.
One officer said he “tried everything” to calm the man during the standoff.
“I looked for every hook that I could, every different way I could try and connect with him … ask him if he’s got kids, asked about his relationship … asked if he’s local here in Wainui, trying to ask if he does anything for work, just trying to get his mind off things,” he said.
Despite their best efforts, Wipa repeatedly told officers not to come any closer, or he would stab the woman.
He sometimes put the weapon down to have a cigarette, but he “always kept it close by”, the IPCA said.
At 12.48pm, the police negotiation team arrived, followed by the armed offenders squad at 12.50pm.
As the standoff continued, an officer said he had developed a positive rapport with Wipa – but “he absolutely… was not going to come with us or let her go.”
At around 1pm, the man started yelling and his “level of aggression escalated”, police said.
Officers interviewed by the IPCA said they believed Wipa was about to injure or kill the woman.
“I could see [the woman] wincing as she’s being harmed, and with her body position, I just knew that he was pushing it into her lower, like her kidneys, lower spine,” said the officer who shot Wipa (named as Officer B in the report).
“Then he’d go back threatening to stab her through the throat, and then he’d go straight back to the lower back, back to the throat… back and forth, back and forth.”
The officer who had been negotiating with Wipa said: “This was the worst it had been, his behaviour, and I can’t state it enough, I couldn’t tell if he was already stabbing her or not from the way she was crying out and how forceful he was being.”
Officer B described Wipa pulling the woman’s head back, causing her to arch her back and create space between them. Wipa then hid behind her head, using her as a human shield.
He then “significantly shifted” his body weight, and the woman cried out in “pain and fear”.
“And I just knew,” Officer B said. “There’s that big movement, and [Wipa’s] gonna go forward, and that’s the decision to fire”.
Fearing for the woman’s life, the officer fired his rifle, hitting Wipa in the shoulder.
Officers immediately provided medical assistance, but Wipa went into cardiac arrest and died a short time later.
Watchdog’s findings
Following its investigation, the IPCA found police had responded “appropriately” to the incident, with a “cohesive, coordinated and planned response”.
“Police utilised appropriate staff and made every effort to resolve the situation safely.”
The authority found shooting the man was the “only viable option” available to police in the circumstances.
“The officer delayed shooting the man until he believed it to be absolutely necessary to save the woman’s life.”
Police acknowledged the IPCA’s findings.
Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said officers had done an “exceptional job” to save the woman’s life.
“These types of incidents are never easy for our officers.
“The staff involved had hoped for a different outcome and tried very hard to resolve the matter safely but were left with no other option but to ensure the woman was kept safe.”
