Chelsea siege gun was 'lawfully held'

A gun recovered from yesterday's siege in Chelsea was "lawfully held" by the gunman shot dead at the scene, a police watchdog said today.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it was too early to say if the man who was shot dead after a five-hour stand-off with police had been killed by police bullets.

Earlier it was revealed that the man was a practising barrister, named locally as Mark Saunders, 32.

Mr Saunders died after exchanging fire with marksmen who surrounded his £2.2m flat in Markham Square.

Fellow workers at his employer, QEB Chambers, in the capital's Temple, were left stunned as news of the shoot-out reached them.

One said: "This is a personal tragedy. It is nothing to do with the chambers. Our thoughts are with his family."

Mr Saunders was found dead by members of Scotland Yard's elite CO19 specialist firearms unit at his Georgian terraced flat after a tense stand-off.

Neighbour Jane Winkworth, who lived below the gunman, told friends he opened fire as she stood in the back garden.

Mrs Winkworth, director of French Sole, a company which sells ballet shoes, said at least three bullets missed her as she ran inside and dialled 999.

The businesswoman was left trapped in her home with armed police as they attempted to end the stand-off.

She said the gunman appeared calm and composed, only shouting "I can't hear you" at officers as they tried to negotiate his surrender.

Leslie Hummel, whose Bywater Street home backs on to the scene, described how she looked on in horror as the gunman blew out one of his own windows.

She said the gunman blasted a shotgun at one of the first police officers to arrive as they stood inside her home and he returned fire.

And she described how her daughters' bedroom window was left damaged by one of the first blasts.

She said: "I went up to the same level and discovered he had been shooting at my daughters' bedroom window. Thank God they weren't there.

"I went upstairs and could see he had shot through my window - there were holes through the sash window."

She added: "The police arrived and I took them up to my daughters' bedroom and said 'He is right in front of you'.

"He (the police officer) checked it out and at that point the man across the way took a shot at him."

Officials are investigating whether Mr Saunders was a former reservist soldier in the Territorial Army.

It was reported today that he served in the Iraq War, but military sources said officials have not been able to confirm this.

Armed officers raced into Markham Square after a flood of emergency calls were made by residents at about 5pm yesterday.

Witnesses described how Mr Saunders' girlfriend or ex-partner fled the property in tears shortly before the first shots rang out.

Shop workers and customers in nearby Kings Road were forced to lock themselves in as armed police filled the streets.

Marksmen also forced their way into surrounding properties in adjacent Bywater Street as they took up vantage points on balconies and at windows, and a negotiator was brought in.

More shots were exchanged between the gunman and police at about 9.10pm before the final fatal confrontation at 9.30pm.

Witnesses reported seeing green flashes, suggesting police may have used stun grenades before entering the flat.

Emergency medical staff were then ushered into the cordoned-off area where the now semi-naked gunman was fatally wounded.

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei said the gunman made no demands during the stand-off.

Evidence of the shoot-out, including windows smashed by gunfire and a door battered open by police, could still be seen this morning.

The Independent Police Complaints Committee (IPCC) has launched an investigation into the shooting.

A post-mortem examination will take place today, after which the man's identity will be formally confirmed.

Mr Saunders worked in family law, specialising in the division of property and other assets during divorce.

According to QEB Chambers, Mr Saunders was a graduate of Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the Bar in March 1999.

Eyewitness Mrs Hummel said: "I was out in the garden with a friend and at around 4pm came back in.

"It was then I heard this big sound, I thought it was a firecracker and then it came again.

"And then my neighbour from their window said 'What the hell?' Then there was another shot.

"It came from the house directly across from mine - my garden backs on to it. There was a big hole in his window - he didn't bother to open it before shooting.

"He had a shotgun. He was in the first floor of his place."

Novelist Jenny Haddon arrived home to find that her front door had been smashed down by officers.

She said: "I've got a terrace and I suspect what they did was use the terrace to shoot from. It would have given them a good vantage point."