Cops thanked at inquest

POLICE officers were thanked for saving the lives of people threatened by an armed man at a commune near Tenterfield 18 months ago.
Police tasered and then shot Ryan Pringle who was armed with a knife and a crossbow at the School of Happiness commune, 27 kilometres from Tenterfield in April last year.
The inquest into Pringle’s death was told the drug-affected man was proclaiming himself as Jesus Christ, calling others who were present “demons who had to be punished”.
Witnesses said they hid in fear of their lives while others, lacking mobile phone reception, drove to Tenterfield to alert police.
Pringle, 33, had armed himself with a knife and began to threaten people at a “rainbow gathering”, ABC Radio reports.
When two police officers arrived Pringle fled into bush, armed himself with a crossbow and returned to threaten the officers.
A witness told the inquest that police repeatedly “begged” Pringle to put the weapon down.
He was first tasered, then shots rang out, killing him.
At the end of her evidence Vera Breier tearfully thanked the police officers for saving them.