Chelsea gunman 'killed' in police shootout

A gunman involved in a tense five-hour standoff with armed police in Chelsea is believed to have been killed.

An eye witness reported seeing three doctors in orange suits going into the square along with three paramedics.

Officers were called at 4.50pm today after reports of gunshots. They were shot at and returned fire.

One eyewitness said there had been an argument between a man and a woman before the shooting started.

Sky News reported a distressed woman was heard claiming the gunman is her ex-boyfriend who is licensed to own four different types of guns.

Another said her house had been shot by a man in his late 20s with dark hair who was brandishing a shotgun.

He fired into one of her second floor bedrooms, sending shot spraying over pictures in the room and breaking the window, she said.

The woman, who was not named, added: "It's just very strange. I think it's going to hit me tomorrow, I don't know why someone was shooting at my house.

"I have no idea who he is, I've never seen him in my life."

Tyrone Bennet, 19, who works at French Connection in King's Road said he heard about five gunshots.

He and colleague Michael Henry, 25, described seeing police armed with guns lying at the entrance to Markham Square peering through the bushes.

They suggested that the gunman may have tried to escape down this road before discovering it was a dead end.

A string of shops in the surrounding area were forced to close, with staff and customers trapped inside as the drama unfolded.

A resident living in Markham Square, who did not want to be named, said: "I looked out of the window and saw police running around with seriously big guns and I realised something serious was going on. I started hearing gunshots and I realised it wasn't safe."

Two ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, as was an armoured truck.

Local residents mixed with photographers and TV crews at the cordon while a helicopter buzzed overhead.