Non-fatal shooting of a man armed with weapon was proportionate

22 Oct 2019 03:38 PM

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into a non-fatal shooting of a man in Bromsgrove found the level of force used was proportionate and appropriate.

West Mercia Police had received two reports of a man with a handgun on 3 November 2018 at different locations in Bromsgrove. One of the reports was from a man who said he had a gun pointed at his face.

Patrol officers identified the man, aged 55, at 1.44am on Sunday 4 November in The Tryst, a residential street, and called for armed firearms officers to attend.

After arriving at the scene, two firearms officers encountered the man and instructed him to drop the weapon. He turned towards the officers and pointed the weapon at them. After the man failing to comply with their commands, the officers discharged their firearms five times, with two shots hitting him in the chest and leg. Along with other officers, they immediately gave first aid and the man was taken to hospital.

Our investigation found the man was armed with an air pistol which he had bought that day – a replica of a hand gun.  

Regional Director Derrick Campbell yesterday said:

“All officers were treated as witnesses throughout our investigation and it was clear that they saw the man as a serious threat to themselves, their colleagues and members of the public.

“Over 12 seconds, the officers gave the command to ‘drop the gun’ 10 times and instead of complying, the man lifted his weapon and pointed it at the officers.

“After shots were fired, officers engaged with the man in a calm and professional manner, providing him with medical aid as soon as they were practicably able to do so. Our investigation was assisted by the whole interaction being captured on body worn video which, as is good practice, had been turned on by the officers en route to the incident.”

Our investigation, which concluded in May 2019, found West Mercia Police had also been dealing with a missing person report that evening from a mental health facility.  It later transpired this was the same man.