An Armed Offenders Squad officer says shooting the man who sparked a high-speed chase in which a teenager was mistakenly killed was the only way to stop him.
Halatau Naitoko, 17, was caught in crossfire as police tried to catch Stephen McDonald during a pursuit on Auckland's north-western motorway in January 2009.
An inquest is being held at Auckland District Court. The constable, who can only be identified as Officer 81, gave evidence in closed court earlier this week.
The coroner's office has released the transcripts to media on Wednesday.
The officer says he thought McDonald had been going to shoot him and feared for his life when he fired the shot that caused McDonald to fall, allowing his capture.
When asked under cross-examination if he should have taken public safety into account before using his firearm on a busy road, the officer said stopping McDonald hijacking a car was critical.
