Westminster police shooting: Watchdog investigates officers after suspicious man 'armed with knives' shot dead

Police say man 'produced two knives' before being Tasered and shot

A watchdog has launched an investigation into an incident where police shot a “suspicious” armed man dead in Westminster.

The Metropolitan Police said officers spotted “a man who they believed to be acting suspiciously” while on patrol shortly before 11.30pm on Sunday.

“Officers challenged the man who produced two knives,” a spokesperson said, adding that both a Taser and gun was fired.

“London Ambulance Service attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene at Great Scotland Yard a short time later. No police officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.”

Police said enquiries into the circumstances continued but the incident was not being treated as terror-related. The man has not yet been officially named.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has started an investigation into both Scotland Yard and City of London Police, as officers from both forces responded to the incident.

“It is mandatory for us to conduct an independent investigation when the police fatally shoot a member of the public,” a spokesperson for the watchdog said. “We have established protocols with the police to ensure our investigations do not hinder their ability to conduct enquiries as part of their related investigations.”

Great Scotland Yard, a side street near Trafalgar Square that links Whitehall to Northumberland Avenue, skirts the Department of International Trade and contains the Civil Service Club as well as other hotels and bars.

The road ends opposite the Department for International Development and historic Admiralty buildings.

It is a short walk from the Metropolitan Police’s current headquarters — New Scotland Yard — on Victoria Embankment.

The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, called for the IOPC to conclude its investigation quickly.

Chairman of the federation Ken Marsh said the officers involved have the full support of the association, adding: “Once again this incident shows our brave colleagues running towards and confronting a fast-developing, dynamic and dangerous incident protecting the public at all hours.

“It’s what police officers do. We are the best of the best.

“Who knows how this incident could have ended — it could have been catastrophic. The public should be very proud that they have a police service — and heroic officers within it — that keep them safe.”

Police activity in Great Scotland Yard, London, on 9 March close to where a man was shot dead by police after brandishing two knives at officers (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Fatal police shootings in the UK are rare, and recent incidents have mainly been part of responses to terror attacks, such as the stabbings in Streatham and Fishmongers’ Hall.

In the year to March 2019, there were 20,186 police firearms operations in England and Wales, around a quarter of which were carried out by the Metropolitan Police.

There were 13 incidents nationally in which officers opened fire.

The most recent fatal shooting in London that was not linked to terrorism was in April 2018, when Richard Cottier, who was seen with a gun, was killed in east London.