Line of Duty Page #4

DANNY:

Not ordered. Advised.

DOT:

But you went ahead and carried out

the hard-stop anyway.

DANNY:

The suspect was travelling at high

speed to an unknown destination

with the intention of committing a

gangland execution.

DOT:

Or so the intelligence said.

DANNY:

The intelligence did say and, if

that’s wrong, sir, take it up with

them.

MARLEY:

Can we please just stick to a line

of questioning that relates to

Victor Charlie Five One’s actions.

HASTINGS:

On you go, Sergeant.

DANNY:

It’ll help if I refer to the map in

our folders, Document 4.

Steve brings up the map on the screen, showing

the area around and including Prince’s Court.

DANNY (CONT’D)

Travelling at high speed along

Prince’s Road, the suspect

approached a line of parked cars

with open road ahead. I was

concerned that if we didn’t carry

out the hard stop immediately the

suspect would get away.

DOT:

Oh, and that was your decision, was

it?

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X:

Music Ends

10:
10:02

DANNY:

No, sir, it was the decision of the

Strategic Firearms Commander who

designated the operational

objective of preventing the suspect

carrying out an act of lethal

force, added to which as police

officers it’s a non-negotiable duty

to protect the public. May I answer

the question now?

HASTINGS:

Please do.

DANNY:

Fearing the suspect would get away

and pose a danger to the public, I

took the decision to close off his

route of escape by executing a

hard-stop manoeuvre on Prince’s

Road that trapped the suspect’s

vehicle between ours and the parked

cars. The suspect then made his

escape on foot via an alleyway, and

I gave chase. This foot chase led

to a confrontation in Prince’s

Court.

HASTINGS:

We need you to tell us all about

this confrontation.

DANNY:

Once in Prince’s Court, almost

immediately the suspect realised he

was cornered. The suspect turned

his weapon on us and fired. We

returned fire. Shots struck the

suspect in the head and proved

instantly fatal.

Danny maintains a cool silence. It forces Steve

and Cottan to elaborate.

STEVE:

We’ve received written statements

from yourself and the other AFOs on

your team. Said statements agree

you all entered Prince’s Court

together.

DANNY:

Correct.

Cottan eyes Danny.

DOT:

See, the thing is, we’ve got a

statement off of an eyewitness on

Prince’s Road. Says that you

entered that rough ground at least

30 seconds before the rest of your

team.

DANNY:

I was first out of our vehicle.

That will have misled the eyewitness.

HASTINGS:

You’re saying she’s mistaken?

DANNY:

I’m saying that my written

statement and the written

statements of my team are accurate.

HASTINGS:

Yes they are. And entirely

consistent in every detail.

Hastings lets that hang in the air.

HASTINGS (CONT’D)

You and your team, you acted as

one?

DANNY:

Correct.

DOT:

That’s not always the case with you

and your teams, though, is it?

STEVE:

In your four years at South Ferry,

there’s been a fair few transfer

requests from officers who didn’t

want to stay in your team.

DANNY:

Some guys can’t cut it. I want them

off my squad. To save face, they

put in for a transfer request.

STEVE:

None of these officers had a

problem with you?

DANNY:

I’ve got high standards. That’s

their problem.

Music

10:
11:40

DUR:
0’37”.

Specially

composed by

Carly

Paradis.

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HASTINGS:

So, you all entered Prince’s Court

together?

DANNY:

Yes, sir. We were moving fast on

foot but I carried out a rapid risk

assessment, noting there were no

members of the public in immediate

jeopardy. I called, “Armed Police.”

The suspect turned his weapon on us

and opened fire. I returned fire.

The suspect fell to the ground.

Immediate examination of the

suspect by Victor Charlie Five Four

revealed serious wounds to the

head. The suspect had absent

respiration and his pulse was also

absent. I secured his firearm. A

few moments later, Victor Charlie

Four One arrived on the scene with

her team and assumed operational

command.

Everyone absorbs this information.

STEVE:

You discharged your pistols, not

your G36s?

DANNY:

We confronted the suspect in a

confined space bounded by hard

surfaces. Given the G36 has a

muzzle velocity of over nine

hundred metres per second, I

identified a significant risk our

rounds might pass through the

suspect and ricochet back at us

causing injury.

DOT:

We don’t have an eyewitness to the

shooting ... but we do have three

ear-witnesses.

HASTINGS:

Three independent ear-witnesses.

STEVE:

Each ear-witness claims to have

heard a group of gunshots followed

closely by what sounded like a

second group of gunshots followed

closely by a single gunshot.

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X:

Music Ends

10:
12:17

DANNY:

As per my written statement, it’s a

matter of fact that there was one

shot fired by the suspect

immediately followed by a group of

shots fired simultaneously by

myself, Victor Charlie Five Two and

Victor Charlie Five Three.

HASTINGS:

These independent ear-witnesses

would seem to contradict said

“fact”.

DANNY:

It’s an accepted and well

recognised acoustic phenomenon that

an ear-witness can be deceived by

up to six different sounds

associated with a single gunshot.

Steve Arnott reaches into his folder.

Steve brings up another photo -of the crime

scene, with evidence markers.

STEVE:

Document 6 in your folders.

Forensic report regarding Operation

Damson. Gunshot residue from the

discharge of a Glock 17 pistol was

detected on the hands and clothing

of the following: Victor Charlie

Five One, Victor Charlie Five Two,

Victor Charlie Five Three.

MARLEY:

They all discharged their weapons.

No one’s disputing that.

STEVE:

A Colt 1911 A1 pistol was found in

the suspect’s right hand. Gunshot

residue from the discharge of this

firearm was detected on the

suspect. Gunshot residue from the

Colt was also detected on Victor

Charlie Five One.

HASTINGS:

Are you able to explain this

finding, Victor Charlie Five One?

Kate watching on a monitor.

Music

10:
14:18

DUR:
1’06”.

Specially

composed by

Carly

Paradis.

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DANNY |

I secured the suspect’s firearm, |

causing secondary transfer of |

residue after the firearm had been |

discharged. This explains the high |

concentration of residue. |

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DOT |

Does it? |

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STEVE |

The concentration and distribution |

are more characteristic of a gunman |

than a bystander. |

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DANNY |

Caused when I secured the firearm. |

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HASTINGS |

You expect us to believe that? |

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STEVE |

At a distance of approximately five |

metres from the suspect, there was |

a small concentration of gunshot |

residue found on the ground. Said |

gunshot residue matched the |

suspect’s firearm. How do you |

account for this? |

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DANNY |

The suspect was in motion as he |

turned his firearm towards my team. |

He covered a short distance between |

raising the gun and firing it. |

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STEVE |

There’s gunshot residue on the |

ground where the body was found. |

That’s where he fired the gun. |

(points to the screen)|

Why is there gunshot residue five |

metres away, as well? |

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MARLEY |

My colleague has answered the |

question. |

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STEVE |

Did the gun ever lie in a position |

on the ground five metres from the |

suspect? |

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DANNY |

No, it did not. |

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