Two of the officers who shot a couple while storming a swingers party were not separated after the incident – a huge breach of police protocol.
CCTV footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the pair hung out together for more than 90 minutes after the shooting at Inflation Nightclub in Melbourne.
Dale Ewins, 35, was shot in the torso and his girlfriend Zita Sukys, 37, was shot in the leg just 32 seconds after officers stormed the ‘Saints and Sinners Ball’ on June 8.
Two of the officers (pictured right) who shot a couple while storming a swingers party were not separated after the incident – a huge breach of police protocol
Dale Ewins, 35, (L) was shot in the torso and his girlfriend Zita Sukys, 37, (R) was shot in the leg just 32 seconds after officers stormed the ‘Saints and Sinners Ball’ on June 8
Instead of being immediately separated, the officers – still clad in riot gear – spent an hour after the 3.54am shooting drinking water and chatting at the bar alone.
They were then seen visiting the bathrooms together for 10 minutes with at least one senior officer, where they took off their body armour and helmets.
Finally at 5.36am they were seen leaving the club, still together, along with two other officers carrying evidence bags.
A source close to the investigation told Daily Mail Australia separating witnesses was a fundamental step in any investigation and the officers being left alone together was a huge breach of protocol.
‘It’s just wrong,’ they said.
CCTV footage shows the pair hung out together for more than 90 minutes after the shooting at Inflation Nightclub in Melbourne
Instead of being immediately separated, the officers – still clad in riot gear – spent an hour after the 3.54am shooting drinking water and chatting at the bar alone
The source was backed up by multiple senior police officers who called the investigation ‘seriously flawed’ after seeing the video.
‘This is probably the first thing they teach you when you train to become a detective,’ one told The Age.
‘The reason [separating witnesses] is so important is to preserve the integrity of any potential testimony.’
Another former homicide detective said allowing the officers to associate with each other after the shooting was a ‘real problem’ and they should have been split up straight away.
Ms Sukys dressed as Harley Quinn for the ‘Saints and Sinners Ball’ on June 8
Ms Sukys was hit twice in the leg and needed extensive surgery, being discharged from The Alfred Hospital a week later.
Daily Mail Australia’s source also said officers announced to people at the venue that the two officers would be breath tested for alcohol.
However, the CCTV footage at no point shows them be breathalysed while they were inside the club – for almost two hours.
CCTV from earlier in the night appeared to show Mr Ewins brandishing the toy guy he carried as part of his Joker costume.
He was seen ordering a drink alongside Ms Sukys before pulling out the gun and pointing it at a bartender, who seemed unconcerned, then laughing and walking away.
Victoria Police said as the investigation was ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the latest videos or why the officers were not separated.
CCTV from earlier in the night appeared to show Mr Ewins brandishing the toy guy he carried as part of his Joker costume
He was seen ordering a drink alongside Ms Sukys before pulling out the gun and pointing it at a bartender, who seemed unconcerned
The couple then laughed and walked away without any incident
The new videos are fresh embarrassment for the ongoing investigation, overseen by the Professional Standards Command and Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission.
Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed footage allegedly showing uniformed police dancing with scantily clad women at the party hours before the couple were shot.
Women were seen grinding on them and then putting their arms around the officers’ necks and resting their face on them.
At no point did the officers appear to push them away or make attempts to leave the area to avoid the women’s advances.
The couple are suing Victoria Police for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for pain and suffering, loss of earnings and medical expenses
Earlier footage allegedly showed uniformed police dancing with scantily clad women at the party hours before the couple were shot
Superintendent Lisa Hardeman earlier said Mr Ewins pointed his gun at officers when they burst in and confronted him after receiving a triple-0 call.
‘If you look at all the circumstances when a gun is aimed at you, and you ask somebody to drop the gun and that does not occur, you need to make a split-second decision to protect yourself,’ she said.
But witnesses later said officers found the man with his ‘head between her [his partner’s] legs’ and ‘did not have anything in his hand’.
The couple are suing Victoria Police for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for pain and suffering, loss of earnings and medical expenses.
Women were seen grinding on them and then putting their arms around the officers’ necks and resting their face on them
At no point did the officers appear to push them away or make attempts to leave the area to avoid the women’s advances
Their lawyers said Mr Ewins was shot ‘multiple times in his back’, then tasered and ‘assaulted’ by police, needing emergency surgery to remove part of his bowel.
‘It appears Victoria Police believed it was appropriate to storm the venue with a team of about 10 Critical Incident Response Team members and within 32 seconds, start shooting our clients,’ they said.
He was back in hospital this week for the first of a series of operations to reconstruct his shoulder.
Ms Sukys was hit twice in the leg and needed extensive surgery, being discharged from The Alfred Hospital a week later.