WARNING: Distressing content
A Queensland police officer has told an inquest he had no option but to repeatedly fire a Taser while apprehending an Indigenous man who died soon after.
The Coroners Court heard the first of three days of evidence for the inquest into the death of Ashley Charles Washington on December 13, 2020, in Toowoomba west of Brisbane.
The 31-year-old's immediate family, who listened to Tuesday's proceedings via phone, requested the inquest use his first name.
Senior Constable Jamie Williams, of Toowoomba's dog squad, was the first officer to encounter Ashley after he allegedly burgled a home and assaulted its resident before leaving the scene at 6.35pm with money and a pair of scissors.
Snr Const Williams told the hearing he was a lone officer in a marked police vehicle, accompanied only by a police dog.
The inquest was shown six minutes of footage from the officer's body-worn camera that showed him intercepting Ashley on the street and telling him to get on the ground.
In the footage, Ashley can be heard yelling incoherently and screaming before Snr Const Williams attempts to grab him and then deploys the police dog.
Snr Const Williams testified that Ashley stabbed him in the head with the pair of scissors and he heard the dog yelping after being repeatedly stabbed.
The inquest heard that Ashley was then hit by wired probes from the Taser and fell to the ground, before getting up and being stunned again by Sen Const Williams, who proceeds to deliver four cycles of electric shocks before other officers arrived and pinned Ashley to the ground.
Snr Const Williams told the inquest that using his stun gun was his only option other than drawing his weapon.
"My aim was to use the minimum force not likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm," he said.
Counsel assisting Sarah Lio-Willie asked the officer why he delivered multiple shocks.
"Mr Washington had just tried to kill me, I needed to use that to preserve my life and I was aware of (bystanders) on the street," Snr Const Williams said.
Under cross-examination by Washington family solicitor Angela Taylor, Sen Const Williams said he also gave Ashley two forceful kicks to the ribs.
Snr Const Williams told his solicitor, Claire McGee, that officers were trained to use their firearms if attacked by a person with a bladed weapon.
The inquest also heard from Senior Sergeant David Perry, the senior ethical standards Command investigator into Ashley's death.
Sen Sgt Perry said he found the officers involved had acted appropriately and followed procedure, but he could not recall them using foul language towards Ashley on the body camera footage.
Paramedics administered a sedative to Ashley after he was arrested but he started displaying symptoms of cardiac arrest and was declared dead in hospital just after 8pm.
Snr Sgt Perry said police had no powers to order paramedics to administer any drug.
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