Police forensic officers at the scene near Bywater Place in Surrey Quays, south east London, where a man has died after being shot by armed police responding to calls for help in the early hours of this morning, on Jan. 30.Lucy North/The Associated Press
A police marksman shot dead a man wearing body armor and reportedly armed with a crossbow and other weapons Tuesday as he broke into a London home where he had threatened the occupants, the Metropolitan Police said.
The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, was trying to break into the house when police arrived. When he threatened officers who attempted to speak with him, armed police were called in. A marksman fired two shots as the man entered the property, authorities said. He died at the scene after officers and paramedics tried to provide first aid.
Police recovered crossbows, a knife, a sword and a hatchet, the watchdog Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
It is rare for police in the U.K. to fatally shoot someone. In the year ending March 31, there were only three killings by police in England and Wales, according to the IOPC.
Neighbors reported hearing banging on a door and shouting and screaming and said they thought a man and woman were fighting.
“I could hear someone screaming and then everything became quiet,” Valeria Bocanegra said. “It is quite a shock. There is a family behind this situation. A man has died and it is a horrible situation.”
The man who was killed knew at least one of the people at the address, the IOPC said. Footage from police body cameras confirmed he threatened the people inside the home.
Two people inside the building received minor injuries, police said but did not disclose how they were injured.
Police said the IOPC was conducting an independent investigation.
“I understand the local community will be concerned at the events that have taken place this morning,” Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh said. “We will fully support the IOPC investigation into the full circumstances of what happened.”