Statement of Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables.
Police can now release the name of the man shot by Police in New Plymouth on Saturday.
He was Kaoss Price, aged 22, from Bell Block in Taranaki.
This is an incredibly difficult time for Mr Price’s whānau, who are grieving the loss of their loved one, and I want them to know they have our deepest sympathies. Police will continue to support them in any way we can.
Last night, with whānau and iwi present, kaumatua conducted a karakia, before Mr Price was taken from the scene.
A scene examination is ongoing and Police expect that to continue today.
A post mortem will also be carried out in the coming days.
This incident has also been incredibly traumatic for the officers involved and they are being supported by welfare services and their colleagues.
This was a tragic outcome – our staff come to work every day to protect and serve our communities.
We have not yet been able to take formal statements from the officers involved, so I am limited in what I can say in terms of the circumstances around the shooting, but I can confirm the following:
At around 9.30pm on Saturday 16 April, a police unit conducted a vehicle stop on a car travelling on State Highway 3 between New Plymouth and Waitara.
That car was being driven by an associate of Mr Price. Mr Price was driving a second car in convoy with his associate.
While the vehicle stop of the associate’s car was being carried out, Mr Price has driven past, and then turned back and rammed the stationary marked police car.
The circumstances beyond that are the subject of an ongoing investigation, with a number of witness statements still to be taken.
A Critical Incident Investigation is now under way, overseen by a Detective Superintendent appointed by the Assistant Commissioner Investigations.
The objectives of this investigation include determining the circumstances of the incident and gathering and preserving all evidence, establishing whether force used was legally justified, and whether any person is criminally liable for actions taken.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has also been notified and will be carrying out their own investigation, as is standard for all fatal police shootings.
There will also be a Coronial Inquiry into Mr Price’s death.
