The Steven Angus inquiry said police were struggling to cope with “suicide by police officer” cases.

Queensland police are considering how to respond to cases of so-called “suicide by cop” or victim-inflicted homicide, an inquest in Townsville has found.

Veteran Steven Angus (52) was shot dead by police in his Townsville backyard in April 2023 after threatening self-harm and charging at officers while holding two knives.

The day before, he had been released from University Hospital in Townsville after an hour-long police siege.

Deputy coroner Stephanie Gallagher today said she was satisfied officers acted in accordance with police policy and procedures.

But she expressed doubts whether the police were the best place to respond to mental health crises.

Previous police siege

Angus was addicted to alcohol, suffered a back injury and had difficulty adapting to civilian life after his release from hospital in 2017.

Sergeant Carlo Louwrens told the inquest he rushed to the scene to help more junior officers because he recognized the address from the previous day of the siege, which he described as an attempted “suicide by cop”.

Two policemen are talking in the parking lot — Sergeant Carlo Louwrens said he fired after veteran Steven Angus advanced on him with two knives (ABC News: Georgia Loney)

He added that another call was made to check Angus’ health condition.

Sgt. Louwrens said Angus did not trust the police and was verbally aggressive upon arrival.

He described the efforts of his colleague, Senior Constable Sarah Smith, to de-escalate the situation with Mr Angus as excellent, but he had no option but to shoot as Mr Angus approached him.

“When Mr. Angus came out the back door with his knives raised, pointing at me and gritting his teeth, I knew he had committed himself and it was a life or death situation,” he said.

Mental health burden

The inquest was told police tried to contact a mental health liaison officer from the local health service, but he was off shift that afternoon.

Deputy coroner Stephanie Gallagher expressed concern about the police response to a mental health issue.

She noticed that Mr Angus became more agitated when he saw police following the previous day’s siege

“It seems like the only way the outcome could have been different was if the police were not present,” she said.

Police Inspector Anthony Buxton, from the QPS training unit, told investigators that police had received training in communication and de-escalation but were always trying to improve.

“We are looking at issues related specifically to victim-led homicides,” he said.

“These characteristics are a person who wants to end his life… to provoke police to use deadly force.”

He said it was a complex issue and Queensland Police had approached the Australian and New Zealand Police Advisory Agency.

“There is no uniform response across the country, and the research is sometimes conflicting,” he said.

He said police have a different skill set than mental health professionals.

“The police are not social workers,” he noted.

The inquest is expected to continue next year in Brisbane.