The police officer who shot and killed a man north of Auckland in July will not face charges.

Edwin Leo was shot near Helensville after he brandished a replica gun at a police officer.

The incident happened after a lengthy car chase which ended after the car which Leo was travelling in crashed into a farm fence.

Police say the homicide investigation into the incident has found the officer was justified in shooting Leo. The investigation found that Leo’s actions left the officer with no alternative but to shoot.

The officer firmly believed the pistol was real. The shooting highlights the need for sense when people carry imitation guns.

The Police Complaints Authority will also issue a report into the case in November.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>