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Man dead after police 'surround car and shoot into it' near Bristol Man dead after police 'surround car and shoot into it' near Bristol
(about 2 hours later)
A man has died after police fired shots on a road close to the M5 near Bristol. A man has died after police opened fire on a car close to the M5 near Bristol. One witness said police vehicles boxed in the car and up to 10 shots were fired.
A witness told BBC Radio Bristol that police fired a number of times into a car. Police sources said the incident was not terrorism-related and was not believed to have been planned. It has been been referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The shooting took place on the A369 about 100 metres from junction 19 of the M5 at about 9.30am on Wednesday. The road, The Portbury Hundred, is a few minutes’ drive from Avon and Somerset police headquarters.
A witness told BBC Radio Bristol that police fired a number of shots into the car. David Ellison said: “As I came out of Portishead … police were ahead of me. They surrounded it. They shot maybe five, six or 10 times. Then they dragged a man from the car to resuscitate him.
“It came off the roundabout towards Portishead and then was boxed in by cars. They shot through the passenger window. There were one or two marked cars and two more unmarked vehicles.”
There has been no confirmation of how many shots were fired.
Frazer Phillips wrote on the Hello Portishead Facebook page: “I was right next to it when it happened and heard about 4-5 shots.”
On the same page, Mark De Lancey added: “I got up on the roundabout as the police were smashing the guy’s windows and dragging him out. God knows what was happening!”
Avon and Somerset police said: “We can confirm a man died earlier this morning in an incident involving police firearms on the Portbury Hundred (A369) in Portishead.Avon and Somerset police said: “We can confirm a man died earlier this morning in an incident involving police firearms on the Portbury Hundred (A369) in Portishead.
“We have referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. This has been a fast-moving incident and is now under investigation by the IPCC.”“We have referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. This has been a fast-moving incident and is now under investigation by the IPCC.”
A police source confirmed to the Guardian that the incident was not believed to have been terrorism-related. A Tri-Force specialist operations unit car was parked at the police cordon. The unit is a collaboration between the Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire forces that delivers an armed response in the south west.
Police said the A369 was closed near junction 19 of the M5 due to the incident. Pictures from the scene showed a man lying on the road covered in a blanket. Bullet holes could be seen in the car, a red Suzuki Swift and what appeared to be a black handgun rested on the roof.
The witness, David Ellison, told the BBC: “As I came out of Portishead … police were ahead of me. They surrounded it. They shot maybe five, six or 10 times. Then they dragged a man from the car to resuscitate him. Under the law, a police officer can use force if there is an honest belief that a suspect presents a threat to life – that they are acting in self-defence of their own life, or to protect other people, based on what they believed at the time.
“It came off the roundabout towards Portishead and then was boxed in by cars. They shot through the passenger window.
“There were one or two marked cars and two more unmarked vehicles.
“I would say it was a 20-year-old red Corsa – or something like that. It was quite small. It was very faded.”
Pictures from the scene showed a man lying on the road covered in a blanket. Bullet holes could be seen in the car. The car involved was a red Suzuki Swift.
The operation that led to the shooting is not believed to have been pre-planned. Under the law, a police officer can use force if there is an honest belief that a suspect presents a threat to life – that they are acting in self defence of their own life, or to protect other people, based on what they believed at the time.
A spokesman for the IPCC, said: “We are investigating an incident involving police firearms this morning on the A369 near Portishead in which a man has died.
“IPCC investigators are at the scene gathering evidence and are attending the post incident procedures. Our investigation is in its very early stages.”
Among armed officers one of the hardest tasks is dealing with a suspect believed to have a gun who is in a moving vehicle, because it presents a myriad of challenges.Among armed officers one of the hardest tasks is dealing with a suspect believed to have a gun who is in a moving vehicle, because it presents a myriad of challenges.
A spokesman for the IPCC said: “We are investigating an incident involving police firearms this morning on the A369 near Portishead in which a man has died.
“IPCC investigators are at the scene gathering evidence and are attending the post incident procedures. Our investigation is in its very early stages.”
Bristol shooting - scene. pic.twitter.com/1PB2cGf0wrBristol shooting - scene. pic.twitter.com/1PB2cGf0wr
Almost three hours after the incident the air ambulance remained at the scene. A spokesman for Great Western Air Ambulance said paramedics were still at the scene, nearly two hours after the incident happened. The police said the road was likely to remain closed for some time.
The road where the incident happened is known as the Portbury Hundred. It is a few minutes’ drive from the force’s headquarters. The police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Sue Mountstevens, cancelled a Facebook Live event due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
A force spokesperson said: “Motorists will not be able to access Portishead from junction 19 of the M5. We anticipate the road will remain closed for some time.” She said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances we will be postponing today’s Facebook Live. We apologise for the cancellation at such short notice. We will look to reschedule today’s Facebook Live web chat at the next available date.”
The police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Sue Mountstevens, cancelled a Facebook Live event due to “unforeseen circumstances”. She said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances we will be postponing today’s Facebook Live. We apologise for the cancellation at such short notice. We will look to reschedule today’s Facebook Live web chat at the next available date.” A body covered by a blanket lay in the road for several hours after the shooting. The body was mainly obscured by the blanket, an ambulance and police vehicles, though a right leg and white trainer could be seen.