Hayden Paul Stacey, 22, died from a gunshot wound to the chest inflicted by police constable Lucinda Boon during a mental health crisis incident on 27 May 2018 at Peel Health Campus, Western Australia. Stacey had called emergency services reporting an armed man (himself) behaving strangely, then armed himself with a large kitchen knife and refused to disarm despite repeated police orders. Three Taser deployments failed, likely due to baggy clothing preventing probe contact. Stacey advanced toward Officer Boon with the knife after being warned of lethal force. The coroner found Officer Boon's use of force lawful and reasonable under self-defence provisions. Key clinical lessons: recognition of mental health crisis (likely drug-induced psychosis), the limitations of current Taser technology with heavy clothing, and the importance of backup support in high-risk situations.
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Specialties
emergency medicineparamedicineforensic medicine
Error types
system
Drugs involved
cannabisalcoholmethamphetamine
Clinical conditions
mental health crisisprobable drug-induced psychosisacute intoxicationagitation and disordered thinking
Procedures
TASER deploymentresuscitation attemptsambulance transport
Contributing factors
mental health crisis with disordered thinking
probable drug-induced psychosis
alcohol and cannabis intoxication
armed with large kitchen knife
refusal to disarm despite repeated orders
three unsuccessful Taser deployments due to clothing barrier
advancing toward officer in threatening manner
decline of backup support by Police Operations Centre
officer's reasonable belief of imminent threat to life
Coroner's recommendations
The Police should take all necessary steps to introduce a new Taser system which has a greater capacity to cause neuromuscular incapacitation, and is more likely to do so.
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