Graham Trinder, armed with an air rifle, was fatally shot by police. An inquest concluded the shooting was lawful.
Graham Trinder, age 57, died in a shooting that occurred on Summers Street in Rodbourne on November 8, 2020. He was holding an air rifle outside his home at the time of the incident.
An officer, AL/1, shot him in the chest after responding to a 999 call reporting a street fight between two men. A court order protects the officer’s identity.
AL/1 stated he feared for his life, explaining that Trinder aimed the air rifle at him. The officer perceived this as a deliberate aiming action.
An inquest jury determined the shooting was a lawful killing after a three-day hearing in Swindon overseen by Wiltshire Coroner’s Court.
The jury determined the shooting occurred at 2:06 AM outside number 35 Summers Street. Paramedics pronounced Trinder dead at 2:55 AM.
The coroner, David Ridley, guided the jury, indicating that the evidence suggested lawful killing and that other conclusions would be unsafe.
AL/1 arrived to an empty street, driving slowly in his unmarked BMW without activating the car’s lights or sirens before exiting the vehicle. He then saw Trinder leave his house carrying a weapon that looked like a hunting rifle with a large scope, according to the officer.
AL/1 drew his Glock and pointed it at Trinder, repeatedly shouting, “Armed police, put the f** gun down.” Trinder then raised the rifle, and the officer described Trinder’s shooting stance.
The officer thought, “He’s going to f** kill me here.” AL/1 saw Trinder was in a stable position, feeling terrified and believing Trinder would shoot him in the face. He knew Trinder could see his body armor before he fired one round into Trinder’s chest.
AL/1 believed Trinder wanted to continue something and turned to deal with him first. “I thought I was going to die,” AL/1 said.
Sergeant Marcin Kozak, then a Police Constable, witnessed the shooting and saw Trinder with a scoped rifle pointed in AL/1’s direction. Sgt Kozak thought Trinder would kill the officer, explaining that “Scared is an understatement,” and noted it was difficult to describe it in detail.
Trinder had been drinking with neighbors before becoming involved in a fight, which Summers Street residents observed. Neighbors heard the officer identify himself and repeatedly tell Trinder to drop the weapon, but Trinder did not comply with the commands.
One witness shouted the rifle was an air rifle, a fact AL/1 claimed he didn’t know. This witness didn’t see Trinder actually aim the weapon, while another neighbor with a clear view saw Trinder point the rifle at waist level toward the officer.
The neighbor couldn’t see deliberate action though they heard the officer shout, “Armed officer, put your weapon down,” several times before the shooting, which occurred quickly.
A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as a chest gunshot, stating that Trinder’s death was rapid and inevitable. A toxicology report revealed Trinder’s alcohol level was four times the legal driving limit, and he had also recently used cocaine.
The inquest, opened in 2020, is now closed, having started over four years ago on November 17.