Met police officers in manslaughter probe after Black man dies in Taser balcony incident
The man fell five floors from a balcony to the ground after being tasered by police and died later that day from critical injuries.
Two Metropolitan Police officers are being criminally investigated for manslaughter after a man was shot with a Taser and then fell from a balcony to his death.
The man, who was Black, died after he fell in Peckham, south London. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Despite “extensive efforts by the police”, the man is yet to be formally identified, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is leading this investigation.
The watchdog said in a statement that two police officers are being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter. One of the officers is also being investigated for unlawful act manslaughter, it said.
Both officers have been issued with gross misconduct notices for potentially breaching police standards of professional behaviour.
The IOPC will probe whether any force used was “reasonable, appropriate and proportionate”. The IOPC will then decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Our thoughts are with the man who died and we sincerely hope that he is formally identified and that his family are able to be notified.
“This was a tragic incident and we recognise that the circumstances surrounding the man’s death have understandably caused concern within the community.”
She continued: “Our enquiries are still in their early stages and it’s important that we carry out a thorough, independent investigation that will be looking at the full circumstances, including the actions and decision-making of the officers who were present.
“Police officers are able to use force in the course of their duties and we will examine whether any force that was used was reasonable, appropriate and proportionate in these circumstances.”
Police officers attended a property within a block of flats in Rye Hill Park on 11 April to a report of a man shouting on a balcony, the IOPC has said.
However, they received no response from inside the flat and left. A similar report was made to the force in the early hours that morning, though the police did not attend.
A further report was received at around 1.25 am on 12 April, of a man making threats to jump from a balcony. Officers returned to the flat at around 2am and forced entry.
They tried to persuade the man to come inside from the balcony and requested that a police negotiator attend the scene. Over the course of the next hour, some officers left the flat and two officers remained inside.
Evidence at this stage indicates that an officer discharged their Taser, shortly before the man fell from the balcony railing at around 3.20 am, the IOPC said.
He then fell five floors to the ground and was transported to hospital with critical injuries - but died later that day. The police negotiator arrived at the location just before the man fell and had not entered the flat.
Criminal investigations, by the police watchdog or police, into the police following deaths after contact with officers are a rare occurrence.
Black people are seven times more likely to die following police contact, recent statistics have highlighted.
It comes as the officer involved in the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba, a Black father, in south London could face a murder charge.
Mr Kaba was killed by a single gunshot fired by a Met Police officer in September 2022 and the IOPC, having conducted a homicide investigation into the fatal shooting, referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration of a potential murder charge against the firearms officer.