The WA coroner has made no adverse findings against four police officers who fatally shot a man whilst he was holding a woman hostage outside a Carlisle delicatessen four years ago.

Brendan Lindsay, 38, was shot up to 11 times in the space of nine seconds as he held deli worker Sheila Tran at knifepoint in November 2014.

It is believed Mr Lindsay was under the influence of the drug ice, and the four officers told an inquest into his death that they believed they had no other option than to fire their weapons to stop him killing or injuring Ms Tran.

At the end of the inquest today, state coroner Ros Fogliani made "no adverse findings in relation to the conduct of the officers".

She said she had found they were "acting in the course of the legitimate exercise of their police functions" and did not consider that they had used excessive force.

"The knife was perilously close to Ms Tran and the deceased was aggressive … clearly Ms Tran's life was threatened," she said.

"They had every reason to believe she had been stabbed or was about to be stabbed."

Lindsay was a 'doting and loving' father

Earlier, Mr Lindsay's partner, Amy Bastian, read an emotional statement to the inquest because she said she wanted to explain "his better side and qualities" to help her "heal".

Fighting back tears, Ms Bastian described Mr Lindsay as "a doting and loving father" to their daughter, saying he was well liked and got on with everybody.

Amy Bastian, the partner of Brendan Lindsay, gave an emotional address to the court, saying Mr Lindsay was a "human being" who was loved and missed. ( ABC News )

She said he was not a drug addict, but he suffered anxieties and would sometimes self-medicate with drugs, which she told the court had a devastating impact on the family.

Ms Bastian said she knew he would feel remorse and regret for the "terror" he had caused but she said he would have also felt scared and trapped in the situation he found himself in.

She said she was not seeking sympathy, but instead wanted people to understand that Mr Lindsay was a human being, who was loved, and who was a great loss to his family and all who knew him.

Ms Bastian also noted that since his death, she had not been contacted by the WA Police and offered condolences or explanation for what happened.

Father warns against dangers of ice

At the end of the inquest, Mr Lindsay's father, John, who was with his son at the delicatessen on the day of the shooting, said the effect of the drug, in combination with his son's mental health issues had created "a disastrous, explosive cocktail" which had led to his death.

Brendan Lindsay's father, John, urged the community not to give up fighting against the scourge of ice. ( ABC News )

Mr Lindsay urged the community not to give up fighting against the drug, which he said wrecked the brain of its users.

"In a nutshell, limit supply, decrease demand, provide support for those already caught in the web and affected by this horrible drug."

He said the events of November 8th, 2014, had affected many people.

"Parents have lost a son, children their brother, a woman her loving partner, a child her loving father," he said.

"A young police officer was confronted with a situation that would change his life forever. A lady was subjected to a terrifying experience of being taken hostage."

Mr Lindsay said the end of the inquest was another step in his family's attempts to come to terms with their loss.

The inquest heard that a decision was made to arrest the four officers after the shooting on suspicion of "manslaughter or grievous bodily harm", but that decision was reversed later that day and they were "unarrested".

Commander Lawrence Panaia testified he had reviewed the decision to arrest the officers and concluded it was wrong.

He said there was "not enough information available" to form a view the officers had committed an offence, and therefore they should not have been subjected to arrest.

Officers faced with 'appalling situation'

Commander Panaia said the policy had since been reviewed and it had been determined that police officers in similar situations should be treated first as witnesses rather than suspects.

He was asked his opinion of the actions of Constable Tom Gryta, who was the first on the scene, saying he had been confronted with "a horrible situation".

Brendan Lindsay was shot after taking a deli worker hostage. ( ABC News )

"I thought he acted professionally as he had been trained to do," Commander Panaia said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ceri Skamp from the Internal Affairs Unit said an investigation of the officers' actions had exonerated them, finding they had complied with police force regulations, policy and training.