Inquiries over police shooting of 'gunman'

Police marksmen shot and killed an alleged gunman who was reported to have opened fire on officers making a routine arrest.

Two separate inquiries were launched yesterday to investigate the shooting of the man, who was black, in Bristol at 11.30pm on Thursday.

People living near by said they heard four shots after police were called to the St Werburghs area of the city. Armed police moved in and the man was shot about 30 minutes later.

He was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary, where he died of his injuries. None of the officers was injured but Avon and Somerset police said they recovered a gun from the area.

Anna Henderson, 27, who lived close by, said: "We heard four shots in quick succession ... There were a lot of flashing lights and police."

Avon and Somerset police and the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) will conduct separate investigations. The PCA will oversee an inquiry run by another force.