Please attribute to Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price:
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances after a man was shot by Police in Kaiapoi last night.
Police were notified of a man who was allegedly threatening a member of the public with a metal bar and knife on Williams Street around 7:20 last night.
The man allegedly attacked a Police vehicle with a metal bar on Police’s arrival at Williams Street.
Several attempts were made to deescalate the situation but the man was not cooperative and he tried to evade Police.
Tactical options including communicating with the man and the use of Taser and OC spray were deployed multiple times.
These did not have any effect on the man nor his behaviour.
The male then entered a private residential driveway and Police continued to negotiate with him.
After a period of further negotiation Police then fired multiple shots injuring the man.
Immediate first aid was provided by officers at the scene until he was transported to Christchurch Hospital by St John where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
Police will continue to have a presence at the two scenes in Kaiapoi today.
We urge anyone who may have seen a male carrying a metal bar or knife walking around the Williams Street and Ohoka Road areas before the incident to contact Police.
If you have any CCTV footage or cellphone footage please contact Police on 105.
We continue to provide support to the officers who attended as this will have a huge impact on them and their whānau.
Our officers go to work every day to keep our communities safe and protect all people from harm, this isn’t the outcome anyone wanted to happen.
The man’s family have been notified and are being supported by victim support and a Police family liaison officer.
We are unable to provide any information on his identity at this stage.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been notified and both a Criminal Investigation and a Critical Incident Investigation are underway.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre