Cathedral gunman 'raised pistol'

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A man shot dead by Surrey police outside Guildford Cathedral told a passerby he was "going to start killing a lot of people", a report said.

David Sycamore, 39, who suffered from manic depression, was shot by officers on the cathedral steps on 30 November.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has published an interim report which said he told a friend he expected to die.

Four firearms officers have been taken off operation duties but not suspended.

'Difficult reading'

IPCC commissioner for the South East, Mike Franklin, said: "Today we have published an interim report which I hope will give the Sycamore family, the police officers and the general public, a better idea of what happened.

"This report will be difficult for David's family to read and my thoughts are with them.

"We will continue to keep them updated through our Family Liaison Manager and will publish the findings of our full report in due course."

According to the report, officers were called after Mr Sycamore showed a replica gun to a young man near an underpass and said he was "going to start killing a lot of people".

Earlier he told a friend "you will not see me again but do not worry about it".

The reported revealed that when officers asked Mr Sycamore, who was sitting cross-legged on the cathedral steps, to show his hands, he replied: "What? Why?"

Lethal force

He was shot by two officers, who issued a warning, after he pulled the pistol from his coat, raised it and appeared to get it ready to fire.

He was also hit with a baton round.

A bullet passed through one of the cathedral windows but no-one else was injured, according to the IPCC.

The report also said armed officers suspected a taser stun gun would be ineffective because Mr Sycamore was wearing a thick jacket, and that Mr Sycamore's parents, Roy and Linda, questioned their use of lethal force.

Mr Franklin said he had published the interim report because of the "great deal of public interest" in the incident.

IPCC investigators were sent to the scene to provide an assessment following a referral of the shooting by Surrey Police.

The investigators interviewed witnesses and studied footage seized from the police helicopter.

Following Mr Sycamore's death his family issued a statement which said he would visit the cathedral, which was less than two miles from his home, for "solace" and "his intentions were never to harm anybody".

A post-mortem examination concluded that Mr Sycamore died from a gunshot wound to his chest.

He also received a second gunshot wound to his right arm.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned until a later date.