Editorial - Stop the shooting: It is time for partnerships between police and mental health nurses

Abstract

Images of a young girl holding a knife were recently broadcast across television stations in Australia. The story described how Courtney Topic, a 22-year-old woman from the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, was tasered and shot dead by police only 5 min from her family home. Prior to the shooting, Courtney, diagnosed in the past with Asperger's syndrome, left a takeaway restaurant and entered a street where she was pictured holding a soft drink cup in one hand and a large knife in the other. Minutes later, she was dead. Courtney leaves behind devastated parents and three siblings. This occurred on 10 February 2015.