Vulnerable man repeatedly Tasered before fall

A police officer who repeatedly Tasered a man who then died after falling from Chelsea Bridge has told an inquest that he first believed he was dealing with a terror attack.

An inquest at Inner West London Coroners Court heard that 41-year-old Oladeji Omishore - who died on 4 June 2022 - was highly vulnerable.

The jury previously heard a series of 999 calls from members of the public where they reported that Mr Omishore, known as Deji, may have been armed with a knife, or screwdriver, and some expressed concerns over his mental health.

It was later discovered that he had been carrying a plastic and metal firelighter, not a weapon.

PC Humphrey Takie-Yarboi told the jury that he had fired his Taser five times, because he believed Mr Omishore presented a risk to the public, to police officers and to himself.

He said that he and his colleague PC Ben Tugwell had been the only response team immediately available when the emergency call came over their radio in their car, telling them a man was "shouting religious things" on Chelsea Bridge and was waving a screwdriver.

PC Takie-Yarboi told the inquest that, as they approached the bridge, he could see members of the public who "looked scared, they were running away."

He said they were pointing towards the bridge, which made him think, "something's going down over there."

He said he then saw a man in the middle of the road.

"I remember seeing something shiny in his hand. I couldn't see any more. He's waving it around and he's shouting."

PC Takie-Yarboi told the inquest that he was aware that that weekend was the fifth anniversary of the terror attacks on London Bridge in June 2017.

"The last terror attacks happened on bridges, and it was also the Jubilee weekend," he said.

He said he drew his Taser and pointed it as Mr Omishore as he approached him, hoping it would act as a deterrent.

Coroner Prof Fiona Wilcox asked PC Takie-Yarboi if he should have waited for back up.

"I felt it wasn't right to wait, there were still members of the public and himself at risk," he replied.

"I wasn't able to communicate with him, I wasn't able to establish what was going on, he was screaming, shouting, and not engaging."

Prof Wilcox asked him at what point he had considered that Mr Omishore might be having a mental health crisis.

PC Takie-Yarboi said it was after he discharged his taser for the first time, because Mr Omishore did not comply and was "still active, still strong", which could be associated with ABD, or acute behavioural disturbance.

He then fired the Taser two more times while Mr Omishore was on the ground and no longer holding an item in his hand.

Mr Omishore then got up and jumped over the barrier towards the River Thames. As he was doing so, the officer fired a fourth and fifth time.

PC Takie-Yarboi told the jury that even if he had considered or been told that Mr Omishore may have been suffering a mental health crisis, he would have approached the situation in the same way.

Nick Armstrong KC, representing Mr Omishore's family, questioned PC Takie-Yarboi over his awareness of the "long-standing issue" of how black men were more likely to be treated as aggressive when they are vulnerable.

He replied that he was aware of this, telling the inquest: "Before I'm a police officer, I'm a black male."

Last week, the jury heard a statement from Mr Omishore's father, Alfred. He said his son had been "a kind and gentle soul" who had become estranged from his family for a long period and been treated in a psychiatric hospital and for a drug addiction.

The inquest continues.

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