Sydney siege inquest: Cafe hostages were not believed to be 'in mortal danger' when Monis fired.

By Nick Dole

A police tactical commander has denied he should have ordered officers to storm the Lindt Cafe in the minutes before the gunman shot cafe manager Tori Johnson.

The commander, known only as Tango Charlie, said he did not believe those inside the cafe were in “mortal danger” even after Man Haron Monis fired towards six escaping hostages minutes before he shot Mr Johnson.

At the inquest into the siege, the barrister representing Mr Johnson’s family, Gabrielle Bashir SC, put it to Tango Charlie that he should have instigated an Emergency Action plan as soon as he knew Monis had fired the shot at the group of six.

“You should have committed to the [Emergency Action] in the knowledge of the shot fired at 2:03am,” she said.

The tactical commander replied: “No, I don’t think so.”

Ms Bashir suggested the hostages faced clear threat to their lives.

“They were in mortal danger,” she said.

He replied: “I don’t believe they were in mortal danger. They were definitely in danger.”

Trigger for Emergency Action ‘too high’

Ms Bashir said police had set the threshold for Emergency Action too high.

“I suggest to you, the trigger was set so high … as to require either death or serious injury to a hostage before police would go into the stronghold,” she said.

Tango Charlie replied: “That was not my opinion.”

Last month, the inquest heard police believed Monis fired a shot in the air and possibly over the heads of hostages, rather than at the hostages as they escaped, which was why Emergency Action was not initiated until Monis fatally shot Mr Johnson.

The Tactical Operations Unit officers stormed the cafe, killing Monis.

Hostage Katrina Dawson died after being hit by police shrapnel.

Yesterday, Tango Charlie told the inquest he believed there was “zero possibility” police snipers could get a clear shot of the gunman and end the stand-off.

Three snipers were positioned around Martin Place after Monis took 18 people hostage at the cafe in December 2014.

Earlier, the commander of the NSW Police Force armoury defended the type of assault rifles and ammunition used by tactical police when they stormed the Lindt Cafe.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.

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