Inquest into the death of Dane Lindon Squires
Delivered on : 22 October 2024
Delivered at : Perth
Finding of : Coroner Jenkin
Recommendations : No
Orders/Rules : No
Suppression Order : N/A
Summary : Dane Lindon Squires (Mr Squires) died at 10.21 pm on 11 September 2022 at his home in Padbury. He was 35-years of age.
Earlier that evening Mr Squires had assaulted a friend, and his housemate called emergency services and requested an ambulance. Police attended to provide support to the ambulance officers, and after the housemate and the police tried to engage with Mr Squires, he suddenly ran at the officers armed with a large kitchen knife. One of the officers fired two shots at Mr Squires, one of which missed, but the other hit Mr Squires in the left chest.
Two forensic pathologists expressed the opinion that the cause of Mr Squires’ death was gunshot injury to the chest in a man with sharp force injuries to the neck and limbs. Toxicological analysis of samples taken after Mr Squires’ death found therapeutic levels of citalopram (a prescribed medication used to treat depression), along with methylamphetamine, and its metabolite amphetamine.
When Mr Squires ran towards officers armed with a knife he was naked, and covered in blood from self-inflicted wounds to his neck, torso and limbs. The coroner noted that it was likely Mr Squires was experiencing a drug-induced psychosis related to the consumption of methylamphetamine.
The coroner found that that one of the two shots fired by police on 11 September 2022 caused Mr Squires’ death. However, after assessing the available evidence the coroner was satisfied that the actions of police were justified by the circumstances they were confronted by, and complied with the Criminal Code, the Police Manual, and relevant police policies.
The coroner found that the police officer who shot Mr Squires with his police pistol had reasonable grounds for believing there was “an imminent risk of grievous bodily harm or death to any person”. That imminent risk was the fact that at the relevant time Mr Squires was rushing towards police armed with a large kitchen knife.
Catch Words : Death in police presence : Gunshot injury : Imminent risk : Homicide by way of self-defence
Last updated: 13 December 2024