Yet another blow for top cop after teenage son Charlie was tragically killed in hit-and-run at Schoolies
South Australia 's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens confirmed he is being investigated over claims he accidentally discharged his firearm during a police operation in the 1990s.
The revelation follows days of speculation over media reports on Sunday about a probe into an unidentified 'senior police officer.'
Calling in to Adelaide radio station FIVEaa's David and Will on Wednesday morning, Commissioner Stevens said he wanted to be transparent.
'I thought I'd take the opportunity to come on and just maybe clear the air and put people out of their misery as to who the senior officer was that, 34 years ago, accidentally discharged their firearm while doing a police raid on a heroin dealer.
'The officer concerned was actually me.'
The incident occurred during a raid on a suspected drug dealer's home in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
According to Stevens, a bullet was unintentionally fired into the house during the operation and no one was injured.
'This is an incident that was managed in accordance with our procedures back at the time,' Commissioner Stevens explained.
'We were attempting to force entry into a house where a drug dealer was trying to get rid of drugs. And in the course of breaking a window to gain entry, I did discharge my firearm.'
'My supervisor was there at the time. I did the police report that was necessary, and it was reported to [the] Internal Investigations Branch on the day.'
He firmly denied reports suggesting there had been a second accidental discharge of the gun.
Commissioner Stevens and his family are still mourning the loss of their son Charlie, 18, who was killed in a hit-and-run while celebrating Schoolies at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide, in November of 2023.
Mr Steven's son Charlie suffered significant brain damage in the crash and died at Flinders Medical Centre the next day, surrounded by family and friends.
Dhirren Singh Randhawa, the 19-year-old driver of the car that struck Charlie, was given a suspended jail sentence.
Randhawa was banned from driving for 10 years.
Despite the crushing loss of their son, the Stevens family have been bravely advocating for organ donation and road safety.
Mr Stevens, who has been SA's top cop since 2015, was one of four people nominated for the state's Australian of the Year in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Active shooter opens fire in broad daylight in NYC, at least one police officer injured
An active shooter opened fire in broad daylight in the heart of New York City on Monday, injuring at least one police officer and one civilian. The New York Police Department urged the public to avoid the area of East 52 Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan as videos shared online showed officers in protective gear entering a building with their guns drawn. Another video taken by Fox 5 shows several officers carrying a victim, while others appeared to be tending to a person lying on the ground. At least one police officer and a civilian have been shot, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News reporter Tom Winter.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Young Aussie finds huge loophole in parking fines - and why he's now refusing to pay
A young law student is disputing a parking fine he received while at university, claiming the parking meter did not give him the option to pay in cash. Oliver Griffiths, who is studying law at the University of Wollongong, received a $97 fine earlier this month after parking his car on campus. The university changed its parking policy last year, introducing digital parking machines that accept card-only payments. However, Mr Griffiths claimed there was signage visible in the car park that stated payment could be made with 'credit card or coins' at the time he received the fine. In a video shared to Facebook, Mr Griffiths outlined his plan to challenge the fine in his fight against a cashless society. 'My name is Oliver and I have fallen victim to the incoming cashless society,' Mr Griffiths said. 'Last year, my university made parking only available through digital payment. 'Instead of following along with the modern digital currency agenda I left notes on my dashboard offering to pay in cash.' The cash crusader had left a handwritten note on the dash of his car, explaining he was happy to organise a cash payment for the parking. He left a $10 note next to the message and also provided his phone number for the parking inspector to call so that he could organise payment. 'Dear parking inspector, cash is Australia's legal tender. I am not available to pay by card right, but I can only pay in cash, I'll come down right now and pay. Here's my number, give me a ring,' the note read. However, the note did not do the trick, and Mr Griffiths was still fined for parking without a ticket. Mr Griffiths, who wore a T-shirt with the slogan 'cash is king' in his social media video, outlined his pro-cash argument — one he said resonated with many Australians. 'I, like so many other Aussies out there, believe that cash is king,' Mr Griffiths said. 'Cash is essential to the economic freedoms of people, and it sustains everyday purchases of small businesses and individuals daily. 'It's available in emergencies, it protects your privacy, it doesn't cost you to use it, and it allows families to budget better.' If a magistrate orders Mr Griffiths to pay the fine, the young law student has vowed he will take out his wallet and pay in cash. 'I am going to keep fighting and if I have to go to the High Court I will, because cash is legal tender,' Mr Griffiths said. Last year, the federal government announced a cash mandate would come into force on January 1, 2026, requiring businesses to offer customers a cash option. Under that mandate, businesses that sell essential items like groceries and fuel must accept cash as payment. This comes as an estimated 1.5 million Australians still prefer to use cash over digital payments, despite one in four businesses no longer accepting cash. Cash use in Australia has steadily declined over the past decade—a trend that accelerated sharply following the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Reserve Bank data, the number of in-person cash transactions halved between 2019 and 2022, dropping from 32 per cent of transactions to 16 per cent. Currently, cash makes up about 10 per cent of all transactions, with projections suggesting it could fall to just seven per cent by 2030. Meanwhile, debit and credit card payments have remained strong, with debit card usage increasing over the same period. Jason Bryce, from advocacy group Cash Welcome, led an initiative known as 'Cash Out Day' on April 22, encouraging Aussies to withdraw cash from ATMs and banks to demonstrate its continued importance. An estimated 1.6 million people withdrew cash—totalling around $500 million—in 2024. Mr Bryce also started a 'Cash Welcome' petition on which has garnered almost 210,000 signatures. The petition calls on the government to introduce an Australian cash and banking guarantee. It calls for: 'all Australians [to] have reasonable local access to cash and full banking services,' and insists that 'all Australians must be able to choose cash when paying for food and essentials at physical retailers.' 'Millions of Australian consumers and businesses trust and rely on cash for their everyday needs and for budgeting purposes. 'Even Australians that don't attend banks or use cash regularly need access to face-to-face banking services and physical money sometimes.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Woman at centre of scandal that almost brought down former Red Bull chief Christian Horner last year has a new role in motorsport
The woman at the centre of the scandal that almost brought down Christian Horner last year has left Red Bull and now has a new role in motorsport. The 'female employee', as she was usually referred to in media reports, made accusations of inappropriate and coercive behaviour of a sexual nature against then Red Bull team principal Horner. She has not been named by Mail Sport for legal reasons, and her identity remains a secret from the public. Horner, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, was cleared of misconduct by two separate investigations led by KCs. Earlier this month, the 51-year-old executive effectively left Red Bull after 20 years in charge, during which time he led them to 14 world titles. He was not given an explanation for being 'released from operational duties' three weeks ago on Tuesday. A severance package worth up to £60million to settle his contract has yet to be agreed. Despite having her claims rejected, the woman remained on Red Bull's payroll for many months afterwards, suspended on full pay, though that arrangement is believed to have stopped some time ago. It has now emerged that she has taken up a new position. The paddock was electrified in Bahrain last March when an anonymous email, containing a slew of racy text messages purporting to be between Horner and the employee, was sent to F1's leading figures and media. Horner was absent from the F1 paddock at the Belgian Grand Prix for the first time since 2004, instead watching avidly from home as Oscar Piastri won, with Red Bull's defending champion Max Verstappen fourth.
