Dramatic moment armed cops surround ‘crossbow-wielding attacker’ after he’s shot dead as ‘gas mask and weapons’ seen
THIS is the dramatic moment armed cops surrounded a crossbow-wielding attacker after he was shot in south-east London.
He was trying to force his way into a building in Surrey Quays, Southwark, just before 5am on Tuesday and was threatening to hurt the people inside.
Unarmed officers tried to speak to him but were threatened.
When police marksmen arrived he had got into the building and was shot.
A witness captured the moment officers from the Metropolitan Police and paramedics then provided first aid in the middle of the street.
However the man, believed to be in his 30s, died at the scene.
Weapons, including crossbow bolts, and a gas mask scattered the road as cops set up a cordon and forensics teams moved in.
Meanwhile aerial pictures show items including water bottles covering the pavement outside an address with crime scene markers placed next to them.
Two people in the building suffered minor injuries.
Neighbours said they were woken up by a burst of screaming and shouting.
Restaurant owner Akber Baloch, 52, said: “I was sleeping and I heard some shouting. It was also like someone was banging a door.
“There was banging and shouting. It sounded like a man and a woman.”
He added: “I was afraid about what was happening. I am really worried and it makes you feel insecure.
“I do not know who is wrong or right in this situation but it makes you feel insecure.”
IT consultant Valeria Bocanegra, 37, said: “I could hear shouting but could not hear what was being said.
“I could hear someone screaming and then everything became quiet. I think it was a man and a woman fighting.
“It is quite a shock (to hear that someone has been shot). There is a family behind this situation.
“A man has died and it is a horrible situation.”
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the noises made her dog bark and woke her up.
She said: “It sounded to me like someone was trying to get in or maybe banging furniture.”
The woman said: “The dog was barking. There was a lot of shouting. There were lots of voices.
“You can see this sort of stuff on TV but when you see it is real and it is real people’s lives – it is just really sad.
“It is going to be really traumatic for the people who were inside.”
Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation, as is standard when there is a fatal police shooting.
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.”
An IOPC spokesman said: “We have begun an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a man by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) earlier this morning in Southwark.
“We were notified by the MPS after the incident, which occurred shortly before 5am, and declared an independent investigation at around 6.40am.
“We have sent investigators to the scene and the police post-incident procedure to begin gathering evidence.
“Our investigation is in its very early stages.”