Finding into death of Vlado Tomislav Micetic
Deceased
Vlado Tomislav Micetic
Demographics
44y, male
Date of death
2013-08-25
Finding date
2022-11-22
Cause of death
gunshot wound to the abdomen
AI-generated summary
Vlado Micetic, 44, was fatally shot by Leading Senior Constable Timothy Baker during a traffic interception for stolen number plates in Windsor, Victoria, on 25 August 2013. Baker claimed Micetic produced a knife during arrest and he shot in self-defence. The coroner found the death was preventable, primarily due to Baker working single-officer patrol despite a 2010 coronial recommendation against this practice. While unable to definitively establish whether Micetic produced a knife, the coroner found Baker's account inconsistent with audio-visual evidence. Critical issues included Baker's unmonitored mental health (bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression), inadequate fitness-for-duty assessments by police medical officers, and the 3-year delay in implementing single-officer patrol restrictions. The coroner recommended Victoria Police develop systems to ensure members' mental and physical fitness for duty is adequately assessed and monitored.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- single officer patrol policy not implemented
- inadequate fitness for duty assessment of police officer
- mental health monitoring failure
- delay in implementing prior coronial recommendation
- police operational procedures
Coroner's recommendations
- The Chief Commissioner of Police should develop and maintain a system to ensure Victoria Police remains adequately informed about their members' fitness for duty, particularly ensuring members are both physically and psychologically fit for duty without violating individual rights to privacy.
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