The Victorian Coroner has rejected the notion police used disproportionate force in shooting dead a teenager three years ago.

Tyler Cassidy was shot dead by police at a skate park in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote in 2008.

A marathon inquest into his death heard the 15-year-old advanced on four officers while holding two large knives.

He was hit by five bullets and died at the scene.

Coroner Jennifer Coate said the teenager's death shocked and bewildered the Victorian community.

But she rejected the notion that the police response was disproportionate, saying at least one officer's life was in immediate peril.

Ms Coate rejected a police submission that Tyler's was suicide by police, finding the boy's emotional state was out of control and she could not be sure that he intended to die.

Wake-up call

The coroner said the death should be a wake-up call for police.

"Tyler's sudden and tragic death in these shocking and bewildering circumstances must signal an immediate and urgent need for Victoria police to focus its training, on developing the ability to recognise and manage vulnerable young people such as Tyler," she said.

More than 100 people packed the court to hear the findings of the inquest.

Deputy Police Commissioner Keiran Walshe said Victoria Police had made significant changes since the boy's death.

He said police training had been refocused.

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"We have a very strong component now about dealing with people with some form of mental impairment or mental health issue," he said.

"We've also increased the focus around cordon and containment of critical incident scenes. We've increased the focus around verbal communication."

Deeply affected

Tyler Cassidy's mother Shani leaves the Coroners Court. ( AAP: Julian Smith )

Mr Walshe says the officers involved remain deeply affected by the shooting.

"They can take some heart from the coroner's finding today, and as I said before, we in Victoria Police, along with myself and the Chief Commissioner and the other members of the executive, will continue to ensure that we focus very heavily on our training," he said.

Outside court lawyer Nicholas O'Bryan read out a statement on behalf of Tyler's mother, Shani Cassidy.

"I'm relieved that the coroner found that Tyler did not deliberately take his own life, but it distresses me greatly that on the night of his death Tyler was in crisis and clearly needed help," the statement read.

"Instead, he was shot dead. I will always believe Tyler's death was preventable.

"I hope the coroner's recommendations are quickly adopted and can help provide Victoria Police and its officers with better conflict resolution skills so that another life is not lost.

"I would not want any family to go through what we have endured."