4 days ago
Police officers who shot man dead in Carlisle granted anonymity
Police officers involved in fatal shooting of 40-year-old man cannot be identified a coroner has ruled.
At a pre-inquest hearing held in Cockermouth, Coroner Kirsty Gomersal ruled that two police officers identified only as Officer C and Officer L would be granted anonymity, when an inquest into the death of 40-year-old Sergii Kuzmenko takes place.
She also said the officers should give their evidence behind a screen and will be seen only by the coroner, advocates and a Ukrainian translator for Mr Kuzmenko's family.
Four additional officers known only as Officers B, D, M and P will also be granted anonymity to present officers C and L being identified unintentionally.
Cumbria Constabulary firearms officers were called to an address on Borland Avenue around 3.30pm on Monday 19 December 2022. It had been reported that a man was making threats to kill and young children were present.
Once inside, officers identified an imminent threat to a child and two officers shot and killed Sergii Kuzmenko. He died from multiple gunshot wounds.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that seven shots were fired by two officers and found that both officers 'acted in accordance with their training' as they told investigators they were acting under the belief there was an imminent threat to the child's life.
Coroner Kirsty Gomersal ruled on 6 June 2025 that granting anonymity would not be a wholescale incursion on the principle of open justice.
She said that given the geography of Cumbria and small community that the officers live and work in, the application was justified to protect the privacy of the officers and their families.
Ms Gomersal also ruled that identifying the two officers would have a significant impact on their professional roles and career ambitions as fire arms officers and close protection officers, since their names and photos would most likely become publicly available online.
She recognised the fundamental importance of the media's freedom of expression but ruled that the quality of evidence would be improved by granting anonymity as the anxiety of those giving evidence would be lessened.
