A police officer is undergoing a committal hearing after being charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and three counts of discharging a firearm likely to endanger the safety of another person.
In a committal hearing at Downing Centre Local Court, Sergeant Shane Cribb faced four charges over the shooting of Shannon Johnston, a career criminal, in a car park in Abbotsford on January 2, 2001, while he was an undercover detective at Burwood.
I imagine the talk back lines on Sydney radio are running hot on this issue at the moment. Particularly as a known criminal is the potential beneficiary if the police officer is convicted.
I have sympathy for the policeman who had to make a split second decision in a stressful situation, and hope the case will end with his aquittal.
The officers parked their unmarked car across the exit ramp of the block of units and, as the men drove towards it, Cribb shouted for them to stop. But they scraped past the car and escaped, the court heard.Cribb later told police that the car "came straight at me. I couldn't get out of the way quick enough so I drew my revolver and fired a couple of shots".
Hopefully, this court matter will reinforce the rules that guide police in the situations where it is acceptable to discharge their firearms in a public place. I am a firm believer that legally condoned force should be proportional to the threat posed on the enforcer.
