Dyer, Alan Kent
Deceased
Alan Kent Dyer
Demographics
male
Date of death
2008-05-31
Finding date
2010-09-29
Cause of death
Gunshot wound to the abdomen
AI-generated summary
Alan Kent Dyer died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen inflicted by Constable Damro during a police response to a house fire and armed person incident on 31 May 2008. Dyer had a history of depression, previous suicide attempts, and was acutely intoxicated (BAC 0.215%) and unmedicated at the time. The coroner found Dyer deliberately provoked the shooting as an apparent suicide-by-cop. While the police officers' use of lethal force was legally justified under self-defence provisions, the coroner noted that incident management could be improved. The coroner recommended training scenarios using this case to ensure first-response officers maintain appropriate caution when managing armed incidents involving mentally unwell persons, rather than becoming desensitised to such risks.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- history of depression and prior suicide attempts
- acute alcohol intoxication (BAC 0.215%)
- non-compliance with psychiatric medication
- marital/relationship conflict
- cannabis use
- apparent suicidal intent
- armed confrontation with police
Coroner's recommendations
- Officers in the Operational Skills and Tactics Program should review this incident with a view to utilising it as a training scenario for managing incidents involving armed persons with mental illness
- First-response officers should be reminded to maintain awareness of the risks posed by mental illness, drug use, and armed persons, to prevent desensitisation to such risks
- When responding to reports of armed offenders with mental illness, officers should prioritise clearing the area of bystanders, calling for backup, and retreating behind safe barriers such as vehicles, while maintaining observation of exit points
Full text
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Source and disclaimer
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