The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that an armed officer fired three gunshots in an incident that left a man in his late 20s with serious injuries, reports Marco Marcelline
An independent watchdog investigating the Walthamstow police shooting on 10th October says it has not yet seen any indication of potential police misconduct or criminality.
In a statement, The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that an armed officer fired three gunshots in the shooting that left a man in his late 20s with serious injuries.
All officers are being treated as witnesses at the current “early stages” of the investigation, the IOPC has stated.
The Metropolitan Police was initially called to an incident at a Stow Crescent home at around 10am on Friday 10th October, following family member reports that a man inside the property had a gun and was making threats to harm himself.
A significant police response involving trained negotiators and helmeted officers in armoured trucks later arrived at the scene, where they stayed for several hours while a cordon was in place.
As the incident developed the man threatened to seriously harm anyone coming into the address and shoot himself, police said.
At around 2pm, armed officers forcibly entered the home after hearing a bang from inside.
In footage of the break-in seen by the Echo, three gunshots can be heard while an officer yells “stay down”. Police later retrieved a gun from the property.
The man was given first aid by officers and taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service where he currently remains in a stable condition.
The IOPC says it has contacted the injured man’s family to explain its role and has assured it will provide them with updates as the investigation progresses.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “We appreciate this incident is likely to have caused concern within the local community.
“When the police use potentially lethal force, it’s important that an independent investigation is carried out into the circumstances surrounding the incident and our investigators are working hard to establish what has occurred.
“At this early stage all officers are being treated as witnesses, which means that there is currently no indication of potential misconduct or criminality by any officer. This will be kept under review throughout the investigation.”
“After being notified by the force on 10th October we declared an independent investigation and sent investigators to the scene and to the post-incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
“We have secured and are analysing police body worn video footage and radio airwaves and have obtained initial accounts from the officers involved.”
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