Cumbria firearms officer who shot man thought child would be stabbed, inquest told

A firearms officer who shot a man thought a child was about to be stabbed, an inquest has heard.

Sergii Kuzmenko, a Ukrainian who “spoke limited English”, was killed by Cumbria Police officers responding to reports of a man making threats to kill while a young child was present.

It happened at a house on Borland Avenue in Carlisle on 19 December 2022 and followed a 999 call from the man’s sister.

The officer, identified in court as Officer C, told the inquest he “absolutely” thought Kuzmenko was going to stab the child.

At a previous hearing, the coroner ruled the two armed officers who shot Kuzmenko, along with two other armed colleagues, would be granted anonymity on the basis their safety could be at risk if their identities were revealed.

Giving evidence screened from the public and media, Officer C said he had been a firearms officer for seven years prior to the incident but had never fired a live round at a suspect before.

While at a police station that afternoon he had heard unarmed officers who were already at the scene calling for armed police, the inquest heard.

He said it was “the first and last time I’ve ever heard that kind of frantic message being passed”.

When he arrived at the house he said there was “not enough time” to consider using his Taser instead of his firearm.

Counsel to the inquest Joseph Hart asked Officer C if he thought Kuzmenko was going to stab a child on his lap.

“Absolutely,” replied Officer C.

He said it would have been an “unacceptable risk” to have to considered using a Taser instead of his firearm.

Hart asked the officer why he fired further shots after initially firing.

He said the child was – in his assessment – still at an “unacceptable risk” of being stabbed.