Police officer claims he had 'no option' but to repeatedly Taser Indigenous man in fatal arrest

Warning: This story contains the name of a deceased Indigenous person.

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, 31, on December 13, 2020, in Toowoomba west of Brisbane.

Ashley's immediate family, who listened to Tuesday's proceedings via phone, requested the inquest use his first name.

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Senior Constable Jamie Williams, of Toowoomba's dog squad, was the first officer to encounter Washington after he allegedly burgled a home and assaulted its resident before leaving the scene at 6.35pm with money and a pair of scissors.

Williams told the hearing he was a lone officer in a marked police vehicle with his police dog named Turbo.

The inquest was shown six minutes of footage from Williams' body-worn camera that showed him intercepting Washington on the street and telling him to get on the ground.

In the footage, Washington can be heard yelling incoherently and screaming before Williams attempts to grab him then deploys Turbo.

Williams testified that Washington stabbed him in the head with the pair of scissors and he heard Turbo yelping after being repeatedly stabbed.

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Washington is then hit by wired probes from the Taser and falls to the ground before getting up and being stunned again by Williams, who proceeds to deliver four cycles of electric shocks before other officers arrive and pin Washington to the ground.

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 Williams 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," Williams said.

Under cross-examination by Washington family solicitor, Angela Taylor, Williams said he also gave Washington two forceful kicks to the ribs.

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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.

Perry said he found the officers involved had acted appropriately and followed procedure, but he could not recall them using foul language towards Washington on the body camera footage.

Paramedics administered a sedative to Washington after he was arrested but he started displaying symptoms of cardiac arrest and was declared dead in hospital just after 8pm.

Perry said police had no powers to order paramedics to administer any drug.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).