A man has died after being shot by armed officers responding to calls for help from the occupants of an address in Southwark.
At about 04:55hrs on Tuesday, 30 January police were called to reports of a man attempting to force entry to a residential property in Bywater Place, SE16.
It was reported that the man, believed aged in his 30s, was armed with weapons including a crossbow and was threatening to harm residents inside the address.
Local officers attended and attempted to speak to the man but, after being threatened, armed officers were called and quickly attended the scene.
The man had got inside the property, and a police firearm was discharged.
Officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service immediately provided first aid but sadly the man died at the scene.
Enquiries are ongoing to inform his next of kin.
Two occupants received minor injuries during the incident.
The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. A referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which has begun an independent investigation.
Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, responsible for policing Southwark, said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by this incident.
“I understand the local community will be concerned at the events that have taken place this morning. We will fully support the IOPC investigation into the full circumstances of what happened.”
Armed officers are highly trained and patrol the streets of London on a daily basis, dealing with challenging, fast moving and often dangerous situations to try and protect the public and their unarmed colleagues. They discharge their weapons very rarely and all officers understand and expect that when they do, their actions will be closely scrutinised.
