A former police investigator says officers are fully justified for shooting dead an armed person, whether it's an imitation weapon or not. 

A man was killed yesterday - after he carried a stolen air rifle into Auckland's Sylvia Park Shopping Centre. 

Lance Burdett says the officer who killed him would've been acting on their training. 

He told Andrew Dickens the fact the man had taken the weapon out of the car signalled intent. 

Burdett says people with imitation firearms have been shot in New Zealand in the past because you cannot tell. 

Corrections says the man had been serving community detention.

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A former police investigator says officers are fully justified for shooting dead an armed person, whether it's an imitation weapon or not.&nbsp;
A man was killed yesterday - after he carried a stolen air rifle into Auckland's Sylvia Park Shopping Centre.&nbsp;
Lance Burdett says the officer who killed him would've been acting on their training.&nbsp;
He told Andrew Dickens the fact the man had taken the weapon out of the car signalled intent.&nbsp;
Burdett says people with imitation firearms have been shot in New Zealand in the past because you cannot tell.&nbsp;
Corrections says the man had been serving community detention.
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Lance Burdett: Former police negotiator discusses Sylvia Park Shooting

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/5c7af104-4289-4ef9-a087-b4a6005d3889/transcript