Man shot by police was 'harmless', say neighbours

Neighbours have described a man who was shot dead by police during an armed stand-off as "harmless" and "polite".

Police said they had tried to negotiate with the 41-year-old, who had "barricaded" himself inside a house on Aylesbury Road, Bedford, but armed officers fired after they said he had presented a weapon from a window at about 09:30 BST on Tuesday.

The Bedfordshire force was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has started an investigation.

Donna and Paul Freeman, who lived near the man who was shot, said they had been left feeling numb.

The couple said their neighbour had mental health issues and private ambulance staff had tried to "coax him out" of his home on Saturday.

At 06:00 on Tuesday, the Freemans were told to leave their house.

Police began evacuating nearby properties after the man, who had been seen pouring petrol out of a window, had threatened to turn his gas on and cause an explosion.

When the Freemans returned four hours later they found "distraught" members of the man's family, who had heard the gunshots.

Paul Freeman said: "He was just a genuine, quiet, nice guy, you know? He kept himself to himself... he was always polite, always waved."

His wife added: "He was harmless, you know? We didn't see him an awful lot of the time because he lived on his own, but like you say, he'd always wave."

The man was declared dead shortly before 10:30 and a non-police issue firearm was found inside the property, the watchdog has said.

IOPC director Emily Barry said: "We have met with the man's family to explain our role and they will be kept updated as our investigation progresses.

"Our investigation is in its early stages, but we are working quickly to obtain and review evidence as we investigate the actions and decision-making of the officers involved."

The IOPC said that one shot had been fired from a police rifle and two baton rounds had been fired, with one having been discharged earlier in the incident.

Its investigators are obtaining and reviewing police footage, including body-worn video, drone footage and vehicle footage.

Robert Nsubuga, who lived next door, said his neighbour had been making noise in recent weeks but not been "causing any trouble".

He recalled seeing the man minutes before the police arrived, at approximately 22:00 on Monday.

"He was sitting outside his door playing music," Nsubuga said.

"I came out to put the bin out and he said 'hello' and I said 'hello' back and he continued playing his music."

The next morning, at about 06:15, police told Nsubuga's family to leave their home. They were told the man was "threatening to burn the house, open the gas".

Nsubuga described his neighbour as "a decent guy" who appeared to have mental health issues.

Mark Swales, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said his neighbour had been a "very nice chap".

He said: "His father passed away a few months ago and I think that, sort of, upset him quite bad, but he was a lovely fellow."

Over the weekend he had called 101 to raise concerns about his neighbour, as he had been worried about his health, something he said other residents had also done.

At one point on Monday night, he said he had seen up to 10 police officers with riot shields.

The 65-year-old said he had spoken to his neighbour's mother since the incident and she had been "in shock".

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, was woken up at 05:30 by the sound of a fire engine.

Throughout the morning, she said, the police presence had grown and she had been told to stay inside.

"This person was shouting out the window, and it turns out, allegedly, he was going to blow something up with gas or whatever," she said.

"Eventually they went to the house. They had them big metal heavy things and stormed the door and next thing you hear they're in the house and... shot, shot, shot."

She said she had been left "very upset" by the death of her neighbour, who she said had "mental health issues".

"It was just tragic. It's just terrible to see," she said.

The man's identity has not yet been formally confirmed.

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