Girl 'Millimetres from Death' in Police Shooting

A young girl was millimetres from death when armed police officers shot and killed Sergii Kuzmenko, who had been holding a knife to her neck. The incident occurred at a house on Borland Avenue in Carlisle on 19 December 2022. Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour testified at the inquest in Workington that the girl sustained knife marks on her neck and her injuries would have been unsurvivable if more pressure had been applied, with the child potentially dead within a minute. Dr Armour stated that vital blood vessels were just millilitres away from the knife marks.

One of the firearms officers, identified as Officer C, told the inquest they had the "honestly held belief" that Kuzmenko was still holding the knife to the child's throat when they continued firing at him. However, bodycam footage showed Kuzmenko dropped the knife after the third shot, but Officer C fired three more times. Officer C said they believed the child's life was still at risk having not seen the knife fall from Kuzmenko's hand. Officer C fired six shots while their colleague, Officer L, fired one.

Counsel for Kuzmenko's family, Leila Benyounes, said: "Something very much went wrong in this case. Two officers fired shots that were unnecessary." Officer L disagreed, stating: "I always believed that Sergii was going to kill that child." The inquest also heard that Kuzmenko was Ukrainian and spoke limited English. The inquest, which is expected to last up to three weeks, continues.