Birmingham police shooting: Man killed in Lee Bank

Version 3 of 6.

A man has been shot dead by armed police in Birmingham during an "intelligence-led operation".

It happened in Wheeleys Lane in Lee Bank just before 05:00 GMT, West Midlands Police said.

"A man, in his 50s, was shot and died a short time later at the scene," a force spokesman added.

The area has been cordoned-off while investigations continue and the case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "I scrutinise the police use of force very closely.

"Officers involved in this incident were wearing body-worn cameras and that footage is being reviewed."

The force said it had also been granted a warrant for the operation.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called at 05:04 and found a man in cardiac arrest.

"CPR was already being performed, which ambulance staff took over and also administered advanced life support," a spokesman said.

"However, despite everyone's best efforts it sadly became apparent nothing could be done to save him."

It is the second fatal shooting by West Midlands Police this year.

The IOPC is investigating the death of Sean Fitzgerald who was killed by armed police in an operation in Coventry in January.

The previous fatal shooting was in 1996, the force said.

It is the fourth time the force has deployed a firearm since 2017, when ex-gang member Sharif Cousins was shot in the chest in an alleyway in Rubery.

Mr Cousins survived and was the first person to have been shot by a West Midlands Police officer since 2000.