Almost four years after a violent confrontation on a Nowra street on the NSW South Coast changed their lives forever, four young police officers have been recognised for the bravery they displayed in protecting the community.
Retired Constable Tyrone Saddler, Retired Constable Jessica Richards and Constable Max Godfrey were today awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation for Courage in recognition of their actions during a fatal police shooting on July 9, 2022.
Retired Senior Constable Hayley Collier has also been recognised, but was unable to attend the event in Ulladulla today.
Tyrone Saddler receives a bravery award in recognition of his actions. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
The shooting followed a domestic violence incident in which Brett Walker, 37, stabbed his then partner in the neck and another person who came to her aid while she held her young child.
Walker had been released from prison just 23 days earlier. He had a long history of mental illness, drug addiction and violent offending, including domestic violence offences.
Police responded within a minute of the Triple Zero (000) call.
Body-worn camera footage captured Walker armed with a large knife, taunting officers and yelling “Shoot me, you f*****g dogs” as he moved towards another person on the street.
Officers attempted to stop him using capsicum spray and a taser, but Walker continued advancing.
Senior Constable Tyrone Saddler had tripped over a kerb as Walker approached. As Walker moved towards him and began leaning over him while still holding the knife, Senior Constable Saddler fired several shots.
Actions heroic
A coronial inquest into Walker’s death examined the actions of the officers and the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
In findings handed down in August 2024, Deputy State Coroner Magistrate Erin Kennedy concluded Walker posed a grave danger to the community.
She found he had already stabbed two people, remained armed, and was highly dangerous.
“It is only by virtue of the fact that the officer fired his gun that he too was not a victim of stabbing,” she wrote.
The coroner found all four officers were acting in the proper execution of their duties.
“Each acted heroically to put themselves in harm’s way, to deflect him from members of the public and to attempt to safely restrain Mr Walker,” she found.
“Each of the police officers: Senior Constable Collier, Probationary Constable Godfrey, Constable Richards and Constable Saddler selflessly put themselves at risk to protect the community.”
Impact on families
Four years on, Jessica Richards said the trauma of a fatal shooting changed every aspect of her life and ultimately ended her policing career.
Former Constable Jessica Richards receives bravery medals, saying the Nowra shooting left a lasting impact on her, her colleagues and their families. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
Ms Richards was just 23 years old at the time of the incident.
Speaking after the ceremony, she described the toll the experience had taken on her and her family.
“What I didn’t consider at the time was the impact that it would have on my family,” she said.
“I’m the one signing the contract, I’m the one signing up to be an employee, but what I didn’t consider was the lasting impacts of what I did on the job.”
Ms Richards said the years since the shooting had been difficult.
“You can’t put it into words because unless you were there in my body, in my eyes, in my mind, nobody will ever understand what you go through,”
she said.
Ms Richards said hearing the events recounted during the coronial proceedings and again at the awards ceremony helped validate what she and her colleagues experienced.
“Eventually it gets to the point where your brain doesn’t want to believe what you went through is real,”
she said.
“It makes the event feel like it did happen and it was real.”
A burden shared
At the ceremony, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar acknowledged the officers, saying they “confronted a danger head-on to protect others”.
“Their actions exemplify the very best of policing, decisive, grey selflessness,”
he said.
He also recognised their families.
“You share the burden, you carry the worry, and you make the sacrifices on your own,” Assistant Commissioner Cassar said.
Mark Saddler and his son, Tyrone. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
Mr Saddler, who has also left the force, said it had been a long journey and he said he wanted to echo the Assistant Commissioner’s comments and thank his family for their continued support.
For Ms Richards and her fellow officers, the bravery awards represent formal recognition of actions the coroner described as heroic.
She said the recognition did not come quickly or easily, describing a lengthy process involving “a lot of back and forth” with senior ranks and family members to have the awards approved.
Former Constable Jessica Richards with her grandfather, Paul Vella, a retired police officer of almost 40 years’ service, who supported her each day of the coronial inquest following the fatal Nowra shooting. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
She said they were also a reminder of the lasting personal cost that could follow a split-second decision made in the line of duty.
