Shot dead carjacker 'needed help' THE family of a man shot dead by police in a busy Sydney shopping centre wanted him back in custody and had tried to alert police to his mental health issues, an inquest has heard. Darren Edward Neill, 34, was shot dead by a police officer in March 2012, after leading police on a high-speed chase down the M4 motorway. After crashing his first vehicle, Mr Neill then carjacked another at knifepoint and continued to hurtle down the highway while being pursued by a police helicopter. He eventually escaped into Parramatta's crowded Westfield Shopping Centre, where he struggled with and was fatally shot by a police officer. The father-of-two was on parole at the time for offences committed in Queensland. Mr Neill's family had tried to alert police about his deteriorating state in the week before his death, counsel assisting the coroner Paul Menzies, QC, said. " (There were) a number of interactions between members of the family, the police, the parole service ," he told the inquest on Tuesday. ``The family (was) expressing deep concern about his mental state and seeking to try and have Darren taken back into custody. ``They are concerned that not enough was done. Mr Neill had recently learned one of his children would be moving interstate, a possibility that greatly distressed him, the inquest heard. He also had an ongoing drug problem. The inquest must examine the actions of the police officer, what back-up was available to him and whether any other course of action could have been taken, Mr Menzies said. There were audible gasps in the courtroom when footage of the car chase taken from the police helicopter showed the moment Mr Neill's first vehicle spun out of control after hurtling down the M4. At one point, the pilot can be heard saying ``f ...; this is hard" as Mr Neill weaves among traffic. The inquest before deputy state coroner Paul MacMahon continues.