'I can't sleep': Swinger shot by police at erotic club event breaks silence
A victim of the Victoria Police shooting at an erotic nightclub event has labelled the officers who fired on them as "criminals".
Zita Sukys was wounded when she and her then-partner Dale Ewins were sprayed with bullets while they were engaged in a sex act at the Inflation nightclub in July 2017.
They were dressed as comic book characters The Joker and Harley Quinn.
Police say they were called to reports of a man with a gun, but Mr Ewins was carrying a $2 toy.
"I still can't sleep at night," Ms Sukys told The Age newspaper on Friday.
"A payout isn't going to make me feel safe. The shooters are still out there and are criminals in my eyes."
A Supreme Court trial was settled this week, with a reported $3 million payout to be divided between Mr Ewins, Ms Sukys and club owner Martha Tsamis.
It settled just before Mr Ewins was to give evidence, meaning his version of events will stay secret.
Victoria Police said on Thursday it will finally investigate the actions of its officers, none of whom have yet been reprimanded.
"The finding made in regards to this was that they (officers) acted in self-defence," Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters on Thursday.
"We will now open up that investigation file again and look at all of the facts, if there is anything additional that may give cause to alter that, or review it."
Mr Ewins has emphatically denied pointing the gun at police and CCTV footage of the heavily-armed officers swarming through the nightclub and opening fire is inconclusive.
He was shot twice in the back, tasered three times, beaten and stomped on, while Ms Sukys was shot in the leg.
Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission slammed police for not investigating its officers.
"Victoria Police only investigated the conduct of the patrons involved in this incident, and not the actions and conduct of police officers," IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich QC said on Thursday.
Mr Patton said police were waiting for the civil lawsuit to finish before doing their own review, but Mr Redlich said that wasn't an excuse.
"That was not an appropriate reason for not undertaking the necessary review," Mr Redlich said.
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