The family of a mentally ill man fatally shot by police say they are “tormented” by the knowledge their son’s death could have been avoided.
June Wilkins’ son, Todd McKenzie, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was shot three times by police at his home on the NSW mid-north coast on July 31, 2019.
Ms Wilkins and Mr McKenzie’s stepfather Neil Wilkins told Lidcombe Coroners Court they want justice and accountability for their son’s death in a jointly-written statement.
“We don’t want another family to have to suffer what we are going through,” Mr Wilkins said on Friday, the final day of an inquest into the 40-year-old’s death.
Police surrounded Mr McKenzie’s home in Taree after he was seen brandishing a knife on the street and making threatening comments to neighbours during a psychotic episode.
The multi-hour siege ended when police raided the home. Mr McKenzie allegedly lunged at officers with the knife and he was shot dead.
His parents called for changes to the way police deal with mentally ill people to prevent similar deaths happening again.
“We hope that in future there can be a better, kinder, safer way to deal with people who, like Todd, are experiencing a mental health crisis,” Mr Wilkins said.
“June and I are tormented by the questions that continue to run through our heads.
“Couldn’t Todd have been left alone in his own home? Couldn’t Todd have been taken to hospital?”
Mr McKenzie was an animal-lover who adored his pet dog and budgie, Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame heard.
“Todd was a warm, loving and wonderful young man,” Mr Wilkins said.
“He was happy-go-lucky, always thinking about how to make other people happy. We will never forget the joy he brought us all.”
His father Mark McKenzie told the court last week that police should have foreseen the deadly result of the raid, given his son’s psychosis.
“It was just one of those Blind Freddy factors. It seemed so obvious that he would not survive if there was any entry into the house,” Mr McKenzie said.
He criticised police’s “one size fits all approach”, using a full tactical response on his son which had also been used to deal with hostage situations, murderers and bank robberies.
The sheer scale of the police presence at the Taree home meant his son thought he was fighting for his life, Mr Mckenzie said.
The court was told regional areas could benefit from something like the PACER program, a $6.1 million NSW government initiative in which mental health clinicians attend emergencies in the Sydney metropolitan area alongside first responders.
The inquest previously heard police officers mocked Todd McKenzie during the siege and turned down assistance from family members, including his father.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Kerri Eagle said the family could have helped de-escalate the situation before police breached his home.
“When people have severe psychosis, family are often the people who know them the best and who may have any restored ability to engage with that person,” she told the court earlier in the week.
The coroner hopes to deliver her findings before the end of the year.
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