Nathan Barreto Sexton: Coronial inquest held to probe if police ‘caused or contributed’ to gunman's death

A shocking timeline of events before the suicide of a gunman who terrorised the Wheatbelt for seven hours with a shotgun has emerged during an inquest into his death. Nathan Barreto Sexton took his own life on the side of Great Eastern Highway near Merredin after triggering a widespread lockdown on October 22, 2023. Mr Sexton shot at a group of workmates in a Mitsubishi Triton outside an abandoned roadhouse on Albany Highway in North Bannister. And five minutes later he used a shotgun to force a couple out of their Volvo before taking police on a chase lasting hours. It was revealed in the Coroner’s Court on Tuesday that Mr Sexton also followed a Merredin couple back to their home during the night. The couple were in their own car, and when they pulled into their driveway, they noticed Mr Sexton had exited the stolen Volvo armed with a shotgun. Fearing for their lives, they then reversed away and sped off before calling triple-0. The inquest was held to examine whether WA Police’s response to the incident “caused or contributed” to Mr Sexton’s death. Detective Sergeant Albert Xu, who spearheaded the internal police investigation into the incident, said responding officers had not breached policy before they found Mr Sexton unresponsive on the side of the highway. Det-Sgt Xu said police were yet to determine how Mr Sexton had obtained the shotgun, which was registered to somebody else. Police followed Sexton at speeds around 60km/h before his car came to a rolling stop on the side of the highway. He was discovered unresponsive and officers conducted CPR until paramedics arrived and ruled he had died. Police reported smelling gunpowder inside the car, suggesting the shotgun they found inside the Volvo had just been used. A blood test showed Mr Sexton had drugs including methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death. In his closing remarks, Coroner Michael Jenkin said he was likely to rule that police had not contributed to Sexton’s “tragic” death. “Given the alleged offences, it was incumbent on the police to follow and apprehend (Sexton) because of the danger he posed to himself and importantly members of the community,” he said. Sexton had an extensive criminal history and was a drug user. His sister previously claimed Mr Sexton was failed by the health system, saying he turned to drugs when he was separated from his one-year-old son and didn’t get the support he needed. His family — who were present during the inquest — did not comment outside court. Lifeline: 13 11 14