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| Azelle Rodney death: Murder accused ex-PC Anthony Long 'opened fire' | Azelle Rodney death: Murder accused ex-PC Anthony Long 'opened fire' |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A former Met Police officer fired eight shots at short-range and in quick succession at a gang member in a car he stopped, a court heard. | |
| Firearms specialist PC Anthony Long did not act "lawfully when he opened fire" on Azelle Rodney in north London in April 2005, the Old Bailey was told. | Firearms specialist PC Anthony Long did not act "lawfully when he opened fire" on Azelle Rodney in north London in April 2005, the Old Bailey was told. |
| Mr Long, 58 and from Surrey, denies the murder of Mr Rodney, who was hit by six of the shots and fatally injured. | Mr Long, 58 and from Surrey, denies the murder of Mr Rodney, who was hit by six of the shots and fatally injured. |
| Mr Long suspected the gang was en-route to an armed robbery, the jury heard. | Mr Long suspected the gang was en-route to an armed robbery, the jury heard. |
| Opening the case Max Hill QC, prosecuting, said Mr Long opened fire so quickly, "he cannot have taken any time to observe anything happening" inside the suspects' car before he started shooting. | Opening the case Max Hill QC, prosecuting, said Mr Long opened fire so quickly, "he cannot have taken any time to observe anything happening" inside the suspects' car before he started shooting. |
| "The majority of those shots caused fatal injuries to Azelle Rodney, culminating in the final two shots which were fired into the top of Azelle Rodney's head," he said. | "The majority of those shots caused fatal injuries to Azelle Rodney, culminating in the final two shots which were fired into the top of Azelle Rodney's head," he said. |
| Police surrounded car | Police surrounded car |
| Armed officers had been authorised to use special tactics to arrest a gang they believed was on its way to commit an armed robbery on the evening of 30 April, the court heard. | Armed officers had been authorised to use special tactics to arrest a gang they believed was on its way to commit an armed robbery on the evening of 30 April, the court heard. |
| Three police cars pursued and surrounded the VW Golf Mr Rodney and two other suspects, Wesley Lovell and Frank Graham, were travelling in. | Three police cars pursued and surrounded the VW Golf Mr Rodney and two other suspects, Wesley Lovell and Frank Graham, were travelling in. |
| Mr Long fired rapidly from the open window of an unmarked police car at the suspects' car when it came to a halt in Hale Lane, Mill Hill during the "hard stop". | Mr Long fired rapidly from the open window of an unmarked police car at the suspects' car when it came to a halt in Hale Lane, Mill Hill during the "hard stop". |
| Mr Hill told the court there was insufficient time for PC Long to have seen what Mr Rodney was doing in the six-hundredth of a second it took from the car stopping to the officer opening fire. | Mr Hill told the court there was insufficient time for PC Long to have seen what Mr Rodney was doing in the six-hundredth of a second it took from the car stopping to the officer opening fire. |
| Jurors were shown video and heard audio of an unidentified man, who was not PC Long, saying "Sweet as... sweet as... sweet as" as the shots were fired. | Jurors were shown video and heard audio of an unidentified man, who was not PC Long, saying "Sweet as... sweet as... sweet as" as the shots were fired. |
| 'Onerous duties' | 'Onerous duties' |
| "The prosecution say that it was not necessary for Mr Long to open fire upon the Golf and Azelle Rodney," said Mr Hill. | "The prosecution say that it was not necessary for Mr Long to open fire upon the Golf and Azelle Rodney," said Mr Hill. |
| "Therefore, we say, Mr Long was not acting lawfully when he opened fire. | "Therefore, we say, Mr Long was not acting lawfully when he opened fire. |
| "Mr Long's actions in deliberately killing Azelle Rodney, when it was not necessary to do so, make Mr Long guilty of murder," he said. | "Mr Long's actions in deliberately killing Azelle Rodney, when it was not necessary to do so, make Mr Long guilty of murder," he said. |
| The prosecutor said he did not wish to "belittle the onerous duties" carried out by specialist firearms officers like Mr Long and his team, but that with those duties came "onerous responsibilities." | The prosecutor said he did not wish to "belittle the onerous duties" carried out by specialist firearms officers like Mr Long and his team, but that with those duties came "onerous responsibilities." |
| Mr Long, from Leatherhead, joined the police in 1975 and had 30 years' experience of handling weapons when he shot Mr Rodney, the jury heard. | Mr Long, from Leatherhead, joined the police in 1975 and had 30 years' experience of handling weapons when he shot Mr Rodney, the jury heard. |
| Mr Hill said it was "imperative that firearms officers behaved professionally at all times and only took the extreme step of opening fire in public when absolutely necessary". | Mr Hill said it was "imperative that firearms officers behaved professionally at all times and only took the extreme step of opening fire in public when absolutely necessary". |
| Mr Long who is now retired, was using a short-barrelled semi-automatic rifle and would have had to manually pull the trigger to fire a shot, the court heard. | Mr Long who is now retired, was using a short-barrelled semi-automatic rifle and would have had to manually pull the trigger to fire a shot, the court heard. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |