Inquest into the death of Hillal Barbour Interlocutory Application Decision
Deceased
Hillal Barbour
Demographics
male
Date of death
2023-03-05
Finding date
2025-06-18
Cause of death
Gunshot wounds to the chest and lower abdomen
AI-generated summary
Hillal Barbour died from gunshot wounds sustained during a police response to a 000 call reporting welfare concerns. Officers responded to reports that Hillal was holding a shovel and following his mother. When police arrived, Hillal emerged holding two knives and advanced toward officers despite commands to drop them. Constable Grammatikos deployed a taser twice, but Hillal cut the wires and continued advancing, slashing at Constable Lieberman who fell. After Hillal inflicted a laceration on Constable Grammatikos, the officer discharged his firearm three times, with two rounds striking Hillal's chest and abdomen. Hillal was transported to Liverpool Hospital but died at 9:58am. This decision addresses Constable Grammatikos' application not to give oral evidence. The Deputy State Coroner refused the application, finding the utility of the officer's evidence outweighed psychological harm concerns and that testing the account was essential for examining whether police conduct was reasonable and in accordance with policy.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Contributing factors
- Mental health crisis and welfare concerns
- Possession of knives
- Non-compliance with police instructions
- Aggressive behavior toward police officers
- Ineffective taser use
Coroner's recommendations
- Constable Grammatikos is required to be examined on oath or affirmation in the proceedings
Full text
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