Coroner finds no failings in care of suicidal veteran shot by police

A coronial inquest into the death of Steven Angus on April 21, 2023 has found neither hospital staff or police officers failed before the Townsville veteran was fatally shot. Queensland Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher found Mr Angus was suicidal and his death is considered to be a "subject-precipitated homicide", otherwise known as "suicide by cop". What's next? The coroner has made recommendations for Queensland Health to form a working group and for Queensland Police to bolster profiling of mental health incidents. Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher has delivered her findings following a coronial inquest into the death of Steven Angus, which finished in April. The coroner found there were no failings by either police or hospital staff in their response to Mr Angus or the treatment he received as a veteran experiencing suicidal ideation. But the inquest did identify areas for improvement in the treatment of people like Mr Angus, particularly suicidal veterans experiencing addiction. Steven Angus, 52, was fatally shot by police in the backyard of his Townsville home less than 24 hours after he was discharged by the public hospital emergency department. Queensland Police had taken him to Townsville University Hospital (TUH) on April 20, 2023, after an hours-long siege during which Mr Angus begged officers to shoot him. The former army vehicle mechanic, who was medically discharged in 2017, had a history of alcohol abuse, private clinic admission, and relapse as well as suicidal ideations. "I'm going to threaten the police, walk out and cause them to shoot me," Mr Angus told a police negotiator while holding two knives in his Kirwan home. During a brief moment when Mr Angus was unarmed, police managed to arrest him and an ambulance took him to the TUH emergency department where he was assessed. Less than four hours after he arrived at hospital, doctors assessed that Mr Angus had eaten, slept, settled, and that he was no longer psychotic or an acute suicide risk. He was called a taxi and transferred home. The following day, April 21, 2023, Mr Angus expressed suicidal ideation to his son, who called Triple Zero (000). Police returned to the Kirwan address aware Mr Angus had been involved in a siege the prior day, may carry knives and often abused alcohol. "I'm coming out with two knives, I want you to put me to sleep," he told an acting sergeant, senior constable and junior constable. Mr Angus ran towards the police, with a 20-centimetre chef knife and a 15cm knife both raised at shoulder height, despite multiple pleas and warnings. He was shot in the chest twice. Police and paramedics immediately rendered first aid, but Mr Angus died at the scene as a result of the shooting. The coroner recommended Queensland Health, Queensland Ambulance Service and specialists form a working group to consider gaps found during the inquest. There is no mechanism for after-hours presentations to the emergency department to be admitted to the Townsville Private Clinic for treatment. The Townsville Hospital and Health Service's Veterans Liaison Officer is only accessible to inpatients and was not available to Mr Angus in emergency. A Mental Health Liaison officer was not available to assist police and paramedics during the initial siege at Mr Angus's home. The coroner also recommended that Queensland's police commissioner consider more detailed summaries of incidents to profile vulnerable persons more effectively. In an emotional statement provided to the Coroner's Court of Queensland, Mr Angus's sons described their father as loved, warm and generous. "For those involved in these proceedings Steven may have been just a name, an inconvenience, a problem — but he was our dad," they wrote. "His warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on those around him. "Steven Angus will forever be missed, loved and remembered."