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Bristol police shooting: reports of man with gun an hour before incident
Bristol police shooting: reports of man with gun an hour before incident
(about 2 hours later)
Police in the Midlands received a report of a man pointing a gun at another motorist on the M5 about an hour before a driver was shot by officers just off the motorway between Bristol and Portishead.
A motorist who was shot dead by police had been driving for an hour after being spotted pointing a handgun at a fellow driver, it has emerged.
West Mercia police said officers received the call at 8.30am on Wednesday, when the man was reported to be near junction eight of the motorway.
The man travelled more than 50 miles through three police force areas before his car was stopped by armed police close to a busy motorway junction between Bristol and Portishead. A number of shots were and fired and the man was declared dead at the scene. A non police-issue firearm was recovered by officers.
A man died after officers from Avon and Somerset constabulary opened fire on the A369 Portbury Hundred road, close to the M5 Gordano services and junction 19, at about 9.30am.
It emerged on Thursday that West Mercia police received a report about a man pointing a gun at a fellow motorist at 8.30am on Wednesday near junction eight of the M5 in Worcestershire. The force passed this information on to the central motorway police group (CMPG), which covers the network in the Midlands.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been informed of the call, a spokesman for West Mercia police said.
At 8.40am Gloucestershire police were informed by the CMPG about the unfolding incident. Avon and Somerset police also took calls about a man threatening other motorists and officers stopped the car when it left the M5 at junction 19 at 9.30am.
“We can confirm that we received a call at 8.30am yesterday of a report of a man in a vehicle, pointing a gun at another motorist, and that was near junction eight of the M5,” he said. “That was passed on to the central motorway police group. We have informed the IPCC about this call.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the shooting, as is required by law. The road where the car was stopped, the Portbury Hundred, was closed for more than 30 hours while the scene was examined.
The Portbury Hundred was reopened shortly before 4pm on Thursday. An Avon and Somerset police spokesperson said: “The IPCC has now finished its examination of the Portbury Hundred and the road has been reopened.
Officers involved are being questioned and their weapons have been seized and are being checked. CCTV footage and body cameras are also being examined. No individual police officer is under investigation at this stage, said the IPCC commissioner, Cindy Butts.
“We fully appreciate how disruptive the road’s closure has been to the local community and to motorists using J19 of the M5. We’d like to reiterate our thanks to all those affected by the closure for their patience and understanding.”
The man’s identity has not been released but it is understood police know who he is.
The man who died has yet to be named. In a joint statement released on Thursday, the chief constable of Avon and Somerset constabulary, Andy Marsh, and the area’s police and crime commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, said a full investigation by the IPCC was under way.
An important part of the investigation will be to understand how the information was passed from force to force. West Mercia and Gloucestershire police both confirmed that they had received reports at about 8.30am and 8.40am of a man in a vehicle on the M5 pointing a gun at another motorist, and had passed the information on to the IPCC.
The statement said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died and all those involved and affected by yesterday’s incident. A full investigation by the IPCC is under way, and we are working to support this ongoing investigation. At the request of the IPCC, the A369 is still closed as they continue their detailed search of the scene to ensure they capture all of the evidence.
“They are very much aware of the disruption their continuing road closure is having on people who live and work in Portishead.”
In a joint statement the chief constable of Avon and Somerset constabulary, Andy Marsh, and the area’s police and crime commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died and all those involved and affected. A full investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission is under way, and we are working to support this ongoing investigation.”
Officers involved are being questioned and their weapons have been seized and are being checked. CCTV footage and body cameras are also being examined.
The closure of the road caused chaos in and around Portishead including to police officers trying to get to and from their nearby headquarters.
A postmortem on the man who died was taking place and the IPCC said it was also analysing what appeared to be a non-police-issue weapon found at the scene.
Images of the scene showed what appeared to be a handgun on the roof of a red Suzuki Swift. There were at least four bullet holes in the off-side of the vehicle and the driver’s side front window was smashed. Blood and glass, as well as a sunhat, could be seen on the floor by the hatchback.
The incident began on Wednesday morning after callers told police they had seen a man with a handgun on the M5. Police scrambled to intercept him.
Witnesses have given different accounts of how many shots were fired. Motorist David Ellison said: “Ahead of me were police in the road. I saw them back off from a car and then they surrounded it. They maybe shot with handguns five, six, maybe 10 times. Then they dragged a man from the car to resuscitate him.”
According to Avon and Somerset police, the vehicle the man was driving left the motorway at junction 19 and officers stopped it on the A369. Shots were fired and a man died.
Frazer Phillips, from Bristol, wrote on the Hello Portishead Facebook page: “I was right next to it when it happened and heard about 4-5 shots.”
A source told the Guardian that another police force had information about the driver that was not known to Avon and Somerset as they rushed to deal with the incident. That information pointed to there being earlier concerns about the welfare of the driver.
The IPCC confirmed it was looking at the West Mercia report.
One witness claimed to have heard five shots; another said there were 10. Frazer Phillips wrote on the Hello Portishead Facebook page: “I was right next to it when it happened and heard about 4-5 shots.”
An IPCC spokesperson said: “We have received a referral from West Mercia police in relation to a report they received from a member of the public prior to the incident near Portishead. We are assessing the referral and whether we should also investigate West Mercia police actions.” It has not commented on Gloucestershire’s involvement.
On the same page, Mark De Lancey wrote: “I got up on the roundabout as the police were smashing the guy’s windows and dragging him out.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday the IPCC said: “We have been advised that officers were responding to reports of a man travelling on the M5 with a handgun and that he had threatened another motorist. What appears to be a non-police-issue firearm was found at the scene and will be subject to examination.”
A police officer can legally use force if there is an honest belief that a suspect presents a threat to life, if they are acting in self-defence of their own life, or to protect other people, based on what they believe at the time. One of the hardest tasks for armed officers is dealing with a suspect believed to have a gun who is in a moving vehicle.
All police shootings have to be independently investigated by the IPCC.
The IPCC commissioner, Cindy Butts, said: “My thoughts are with the man’s family and all those affected at this difficult time. The investigation is in its very early stages and we will be working hard to establish exactly what happened and would ask for patience while our investigation continues. At this stage we are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and no individual police officer is under investigation.”
The distance between junction eight – at Strensham in Worcestershire – and junction 19 for Portishead is 54 miles (87km). The central motorway police group is made up of officers from the West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire forces. Officers from another police force, Gloucestershire, may be questioned by IPCC investigators as when the M5 leaves West Mercia, it travels through Gloucestershire before entering Avon and Somerset. An important part of the investigation is likely to be how the different forces involved liaised.
