TAFARI Walton intended to end his own life by provoking police officers to shoot him when he charged at them armed with a knife in the backyard of a home at Glendale in 2019, a day after he had murdered the mother of his child, a coroner has been urged to find.
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The coronial inquests into the brutal stabbing murder of Gabriella Thompson and subsequent police shooting of Mr Walton heard submissions on Monday into proposed recommendations and findings, including a number of issues relating to Mr Walton's mental health and treatment, supervision on parole, drug use, a call made by one of Ms Thompson's friends to police, the evidence of Mr Walton's step-father, who interrupted the stabbing, and the police investigation and subsequent shooting.
Counsel assisting Jake Harris urged State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan to find Ms Thompson died as a result of multiple stab wounds and said her death was a "homicide by a known person in the context of domestic and family violence."
Mr Harris said the findings relating to Mr Walton's cause of death should be gunshot injuries to the head and chest as a result of a police operation.
"Tafari was shot as he moved towards a police officer while armed with a knife, intending to end his life by provoking the officer to shoot him," Mr Harris said.
Mr Harris said the evidence from police officers that Mr Walton was basically pleading with them to "come on f---ing shoot me" and the analysis of consultant psychiatrist Dr Danny Sullivan who described Mr Walton's death as "suicide by police" would lead Magistrate O'Sullivan to that conclusion.
And despite the fact that Mr Walton was potentially suffering from methamphetamine induced psychosis, it was Dr Sullivan's opinion that Mr Walton was "likely aware of the general consequences of his actions".
"Your Honour can take it that he was aware of the consequences and therefore intended to do those actions in both cases," Mr Harris told Magistrate O'Sullivan.
Mr Harris also offered a number of proposed recommendations, including police receiving further training around the risks and responses to people likely to use police to attempt self-harm. And in response to evidence from Ms Thompson's friend that she called police about a "concern for welfare" for Ms Thompson on the day she was killed, Mr Harris submitted that at all calls to police relating to domestic violence should be classified internally as such and that police should attend and speak to all alleged victims of domestic violence.
Other recommendations to corrective services included identifying when community corrections officers should report breaches of bail to police and when they should implement drug testing when a parolee admits illicit drug use.
Mr Harris did not invite Magistrate O'Sullivan to be critical of the conduct of the officers who shot Mr Walton.
Magistrate O'Sullivan will deliver findings next month.
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