Officer ‘didn’t have time’ to turn on body-worn camera before shooting Sydney man having psychotic episode, inquest hears

Officer ‘didn’t have time’ to turn on body-worn camera before shooting Sydney man having psychotic episode, inquest hears Steve Pampalian fatally shot in 2023 after moving towards police while holding kitchen knives, coronial inquest told Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A police officer has told a coronial inquest he didn’t have enough time to turn on his body-worn camera before he fatally shot a Sydney man who ran at him with two kitchen knives, amid conflicting statements on what unfolded in the critical moments before the man was killed. Steve Pampalian, 41, was shot three times by a police officer in the driveway of his home on a quiet suburban street in Sydney’s North Willoughby on 25 May 2023 after he had a psychotic episode. He was the second of four vulnerable people – alongside Clare Nowland , Jesse Deacon and Krista Kach – who died in separate incidents in consecutive months in 2023 after interactions with the police . The cases triggered increased scrutiny over how police respond to mental health incidents. The first responding officer, Const Jason Bryan, told the long-awaited inquest into Pampalian’s death this week that officers typically turn on body-worn cameras when exercising police powers or gathering evidence, although it is not mandatory. It was not clear when Bryan turned on his camera but the inquest heard the camera was off when Pampalian was shot. “ didn’t have enough time to turn it on any earlier than whenever I did turn it on,” he said. The second responding officer, Const Elizabeth Trupiano, was not wearing a body-worn camera at all. She told the inquest that between 25% and 50% of the body-worn cameras at Chatswood police station were not “working” at the time and there was not one available for her that day. Sign up: AU Breaking News email In 2022, the then Coalition state government set aside $100m to pay for technology that would automatically activate body-worn cameras when police officers draw Tasers or ...