The case has been dismissed – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio

A man in his 40s was shot and killed by the police during a hostage situation at an exit at the Eiganestunnel in Stavanger on 22 October last year. The case has now been fully investigated and a prosecution decision has been made: The case has been dismissed. – The police officers did not act criminally during the shooting, says Terje Nybøe, head of the Bureau for Police Affairs in a press release. He says the policemen had an obvious duty to act in the situation where the motivation was to save the life of a person who was exposed to a potentially fatal attack. – The firing solution was both necessary, justifiable and proportionate. It was a legal act of service, he says. That is why he says the case has now been dropped. The head of the Bureau of Police Affairs, Terje Nybøe. Photo: VALENTINA BAISOTTI / news Lawyer: – In shock at the result – The result of the investigation is as expected. He has done what he considered necessary in that situation, says the lawyer of one of the police officers, Anette Mokleiv. Vetle Andre Mitchell Jensen is the assistance lawyer for the family of the deceased. He says the family had expected a different result. – The family is in shock at the result. We will make a thorough assessment before we possibly appeal the entire decision to the Attorney General, says Jensen from the law firm SjødinMeling. Hostage situation The man in his 40s fled the scene after a car accident earlier in the evening. He was armed. The man got into a passing car and took the driver hostage. The car is stopped by the police and a shootout ensues. Both the suspect, the hostage and a police officer were hit by gunfire. Gunshot wounds on the car route after the incident in Stavanger. Photo: Øystein Otterdal The perpetrator was transported to Stavanger University Hospital, and was pronounced dead a short time later. The hostage and the man in the police survive. – One police officer fired nine shots with a pistol, and one police officer fired five shots with a machine gun. All the shots hit the deceased, said Thomas Arntsen, head of prosecution investigations in the Bureau in March. In March, the Bureau of Police Affairs presented findings from the investigation. Among other things, they have received help from Kripos. The two police officers who fired shots then had the status of suspects. The purpose of the investigation was to find out what happened during the shooting, and whether anything criminal has happened on the part of the police. – The thoughts still go to the deceased Chief of Police in the Sør-West police district, Hans vik, completely agrees that this was a legal act of service by the police. – The officers who were involved faced an extremely demanding task this Sunday evening last autumn. As everyone knows, the outcome was fatal for the hostage-taker. Our thoughts are still with his bereaved family. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news Vik explains that the hostage was in mortal danger, but he survived. He also experienced a very serious attack. – I am impressed, but not surprised, by the way our people handled the situation. They did their job. – A hostage situation with a speeding car. You don’t get much more demanding than that, and then you should be happy that someone uses such an opportunity to further develop the police, says Vik. The deceased hostage-taker had weapons designed for rubber bullets The investigation has, among other things, been about finding out how many shots were fired, and whether it was one or more police officers who fired the shots. The audio recording from the police liaison has also been part of the investigation. According to the autopsy report, several of the shots that the police fired individually and/or in conjunction were fatal. The deceased man was in possession of a revolver designed to fire cartridges with elastic rubber bullets. Five fired cartridge cases were found in the revolver. The revolver required a licence, and was considered a firearm according to the Arms Act. The deceased hostage-taker in his 40s was previously charged with threats against the police and should have appeared in court in December 2023. He was also previously convicted. Published 11.10.2024, at 11.00 Updated 11.10.2024, at 15.53



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