13/01/2026
This decision by the IOPC is very disappointing. We strongly disagree and believe that Officer K should face a gross misconduct hearing.
We believe that the evidence at the inquest, including his behaviour after Sean’s shooting, undermines Officer K’s version of events, including his account that he honestly believed Sean had a gun. We consider he should have faced a gross misconduct hearing regarding his use of force, which would necessarily consider the truth of the accounts he has given since Sean’s death.
It has been 7 years since Sean was killed and our faith in the IOPC has continuously been eroded. The time they have taken to complete their initial investigation was totally unacceptable. We also believe the investigation was flawed from the start; from allowing Officer K to see his body worn video before giving a full statement (relying on post-deployment procedures which exist, a fact which is incomprehensible to us) to poorly selected experts who gave opinions on matters they were not qualified. We believe a good quality timely investigation would have shown that Officer K did not honestly believe Sean was a threat and that his actions were not only wrong but unlawful. - ❤️
The IOPC has confirmed the police officer who killed Sean Fitzgerald will not face gross misconduct proceedings