Proactive policing gone horribly wrong. In 2020, a young man, Brad Balzan, died a violent death in his own backyard after being shot by NSW police. Our Principal Solicitor, Peter O´Brien, spoke to ABC News about the case.
NSW Police Proactive Policing Result in Young Man Being Shot Dead in his own Backyard
Peter O´Brien is representing Adam Balzan, the father of the young man NSW police shot dead in his own backyard. Officers followed the victim, Brad Balzan, and ten minutes later he was dead. Consequently, the case has attracted a lot of media attention. So, what happened in the tragic incident?
On the fatal morning, Adam woke up to the sound of gun shots in house. Then, he stepped outside to find police officers in his backyard. He also noticed a thick haze of pepper spray surrounding the house. Suddenly, he saw a body in the yard. Officers told Brad that they chased someone here. Then, Brad looked in his sons bedroom. It was empty.
Later, they informed Brad that the body was his son.
NSW Police Proactive Policing – Why did they shoot Brad Balzan?
Apparently, the police were suspicious of Brad because he was wearing a hoodie on a hot day. However, Brad was not committing a crime at the time. According to the officers, they were from one of the proactive crime teams. This programme aims to reduce crime in NSW by having officers out on the street searching people. However, this fatal shooting has caused controversy of the programme.
Adam Balzan´s Lawyer, Peter O´Brien, speaks to ABC News on Brad Balzan Case
Peter O´Brien is litigating for Adam, the father. Furthermore, Peter also spoke to ABC news about the case, stating:
"The case that we are litigating is the worst possible
outcome imaginable of proactive policing gone wrong."
Our firm has also represented countless clients in cases against the NSW police. Read some of our civil Case Studies here. Furthermore, O'Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors have also represented witnesses in every Royal Commission over the past decade including: