A police officer fired a Taser at a man who had just stabbed himself in the neck because he feared he would harm himself further, an inquest has heard.
Firearms officer PC Matthew Probert told the inquest he decided to intervene after Arlindo Furtado cut his neck to prevent him from inflicting any further injury.
Giving evidence at the inquest in Aberdare, PC Probert said: “I took this incident very, very seriously.
“Mr Furtado had an instrument capable of causing harm in a location where he could cause catastrophic blood loss. His demeanor was very focused and he made it clear what he intended to do.”
'Emotional or mental distress'
Mr Furtado died at the University Hospital of Wales after armed police were called to his house in Adeline Street, Splott , Cardiff , on October 11, 2014. He was due to be arrested following allegations of domestic violence.
PC Probert told the inquest he judged Mr Furtado to be in a state of “emotional or mental distress” and decided that negotiation would be the best tactic.
He recalled seeing Mr Furtado holding an orange knife to the side of his neck as he climbed the stairs towards him.
He said: “He was exhibiting heightened behaviour and he appeared paranoid.
"I just wanted to calm the situation down. I reinforced we were there to talk to him and help him.”
The firearms officer recalled that Mr Furtado repeatedly asked to speak to his estranged partner, but when he realised he would not be given that opportunity, started to push the blade harder against his skin.
'Grave concern for his wellbeing'
He said: “The knife remained at his neck and he became more agitated. He said he knew someone who had threatened suicide and not gone through with it, but said he was not like that. He made a motion as if to cut his neck.
“He was saying ‘this is my day’ and ‘you will regret this’ and he had a look of determination on his face. The way he was acting gave me grave concern for his wellbeing.”
PC Probert told the inquest the team planned to create a distraction by smashing a window.
He added: “I believed he was causing serious or possibly fatal wounds to himself and I went to intervene.”
The firearms officer discharged two barbs from his Taser and both missed Mr Furtado. The inquest heard that another officer also fired his taser.
When asked if he would have done anything differently, he replied: “Everything that we did was an attempt to save Mr Furtado’s life.
“Every officer tried to gain a rapport with him. We only wanted the best for him. No one wanted this outcome.”
'We tried to save his life'
He said to Mr Furtado’s estranged partner Nicole Varela: “We did try to save his life. I am very sorry for your loss. It was not the outcome we wanted.”
Ms Varela asked one of the officers involved: “I don’t understand why you had to use the Taser after he harmed himself? He had injured himself already.”
Firearms officer PC Stephen Parsons responded: “I Tasered him to stop him from harming himself further. He was clearly a threat to himself.”
He told the inquest it had been a “split second” decision.
The inquest heard Mr Furtado was due to be arrested following allegations of domestic violence. On the day before he died, he told Ms Varela he would rather die than be without her and his children and logged on to Facebook to say goodbye to family and friends.
PC Probert discharged two barbs from his Taser and both missed Mr Furtado. The inquest heard that a third officer also fired a Taser.
Tactical firearms commander Matthew Codd said he had considered the priority to be “de-escalation” and stressed he wanted to handle the incident through negotiation.
He added: “When I deploy firearms, that does not mean my officers are going in there to shoot somebody.”
He emphasised the officers involved were “very professional”, adding: “They were not going in with guns at the ready. This was a last resort.”
'Police made extensive efforts'
He confirmed the incident met the criteria for firearms deployment.
When asked if he felt the situation could have been handled differently, he said: “I have dealt with a number of these incidents. Looking back, I do not think there is anything else I could have done. This incident was on the Saturday. On the Monday, I had a very similar incident and I put the same strategy in place. After an hour, the individual put the weapon down and walked off.”
He added: “We are there to preserve life. It did not go the way we wanted it to go. I just want the family to know those officers have done everything they could have done at the scene.”
Chief Inspector Mark Lamberton said he had “no concerns” about how the incident was handled.
Pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbetter concluded the cause of death was stab wounds to the neck. He added there was no evidence the Tasers had contributed to his death.
Coroner Andrew Barkley said police had made “extensive efforts” to persuade Mr Furtado to put down the knife.
He said: “There is no evidence to support the contention that the Taser was a direct or indirect cause of death. I am satisfied so that I am sure he did die from a deliberate act initiated by himself.”
He recorded a conclusion of suicide and stated he had no concerns about how the incident was handled.
See- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/officer-fired-taser-man-who-10632717
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