"The way it looked to me was that one of them was going to die" - a coroner's inquest into the police shooting of 37-year-old Stephen Bellingham was told today.
The words were read to the court from a statement made by Christopher Harry Young, 19, who witnessed the violent and destructive rampage of Mr Bellingham and his subsequent shooting by a police officer in Stanmore Road, Christchurch, on September 26, 2007.
The inquest being heard by Christchurch Coroner Brent Shortland was instigated by the Bellingham family.
Mr Young's evidence stated that he was sitting in his car when he was faced by an unkempt, agitated man with red eyes and "not of sound mind", asking for a ride. He said he locked the door of his car to protect himself.
Later Mr Young saw the same man, holding a hammer in a confrontational manner and charging a police officer.
"I specifically heard the police officer saying and yelling at one point, get back, get back," Mr Young said. He then heard the shots that killed Mr Bellingham.
Earlier, the police officer, who has name suppression and is being referred to as Officer A, broke down and couldn't continue with his evidence of the incident, while members of the Bellingham family also wept as they heard the details of the shooting.
The inquest is being held after the family were disappointed by the finding of the Independent Police Conduct Authority found that Officer A found he had acted in self-defence. The family felt that their son would still be alive, if he had been confronted by any other officer.
This morning, several witnesses referred to Mr Bellingham as being a "likeable guy", an "awesome guy", "soulmate" and "genuine and nice". But they said his demeanour crumbled in the days just prior to the shooting.
A flatmate, whose name was suppressed, said she thought he seemed overloaded and stressed, and his mind was "all over the place". He and she smoked cannabis and took party pills and he began drinking whisky, which led to him spending two days sharpening knives, punching the walls of their flat, and staying up all night talking to himself.
"His behaviour frightened me - he was going mental," she said.
Another flatmate, Otis Otene Thompson, told the court that Mr Bellingham was being very weird and had said to him, he was going to Jerusalem to shoot Muslims.
On the evening of September 26, he said he saw Mr Bellingham take two knives from the kitchen, go outside the flat and begin smashing a van with a claw hammer. As a result, Mr Thompson said he called the police.
Officer A said he was the senior field officer for Christchurch that night. He and two constables attended a priority one call in Avonside Road. On their arrival, they found the van around the corner in Trent Street, with every window smashed and evidence that the offender had tried to set light to it.
Witnesses said the man, Mr Bellingham, had gone by foot to nearby Stanmore Road. Officer A, who went to Stanmore Road before the two constables, found Mr Bellingham, who was damaging other vehicles with the hammer.
Mr Bellingham was bending over a Subaru car and when Officer A heard smashing he was concerned there may have been someone in the car.
Officer A said he called repeatedly to Mr Bellingham to put the hammer down and thought he was going to do that, when Mr Bellingham turned sideways to him. "He started rustling in his bag - I thought he was looking for a weapon. I thought he was going to pull out a knife," Officer A said.
"Suddenly he turned towards me and started running. We were probably a good five metres apart; he had the hammer raised in his right hand. All I could think of was that he was going to smash my head with the hammer," he said.
Officer A described Mr Bellingham as "aggressive and menacing" and said he was concerned for the safety of the public.
"I think I discharged three shots and I felt that I was justified in my decision to shoot because I could not defend myself or other persons."
In cross examination by Simon Clay, acting for the Bellingham family, Officer A admitted he had left Trent Street without giving further instructions to the two constables, other than calling for the dog handling unit which was working in the Sockburn area, 10.5km away.
He said he didn't consider firing warning shots or using spray and denied he had drawn his pistol before he got out of his police vehicle. He also denied the use of the pistol was "his first resort", saying that his tactical options were dictated by Mr Bellingham's actions.
One of the constables in support, Gregory Dean Beer, said Officer A took "the best course available to him".
Five eye-witnesses supported Officer A's description of the incident while one, Kieran Blair Cross, 21, unemployed, said he didn't hear any warning from Officer A, or a hammer in Mr Bellingham's hand. The hearing will continue tomorrow.
