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| Azelle Rodney inquiry to give final ruling | Azelle Rodney inquiry to give final ruling |
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| An official inquiry is expected to criticise the Metropolitan police over the shooting dead of a man by an elite firearms officer. | An official inquiry is expected to criticise the Metropolitan police over the shooting dead of a man by an elite firearms officer. |
| Azelle Rodney was killed in Edgware, north London, in April 2005 after police forced a car he was travelling in to stop. He was hit by a total of six bullets fired by an officer known as E7. Rodney, 24, was not holding a weapon when shot, although weapons were later recovered from the car. | Azelle Rodney was killed in Edgware, north London, in April 2005 after police forced a car he was travelling in to stop. He was hit by a total of six bullets fired by an officer known as E7. Rodney, 24, was not holding a weapon when shot, although weapons were later recovered from the car. |
| Officers say they had intelligence that Rodney was part of a group of men on their way, possibly armed with automatic weapons, to attack a Colombian drugs gang, intending to rob them. | Officers say they had intelligence that Rodney was part of a group of men on their way, possibly armed with automatic weapons, to attack a Colombian drugs gang, intending to rob them. |
| Evidence heard by the inquiry clashed with E7's account of why he opened fire. Forensic and ballistic tests suggest several bullets hit Rodney as he was falling down, appearing to contradict the police marksman's account that he continued to fire because the suspect remained upright and posed a threat. | |
| Other evidence commissioned by the inquiry identifies alleged errors in decisions made by senior officers. Prosecutors are to examine evidence unearthed by the official inquiry, chaired by Sir Christopher Holland. | |
| New expert testimony highlighted alleged failings in the Met's planning and tactics, which meant an earlier chance to arrest Rodney was missed. The inquiry also heard from two firearms experts who concluded that the police operation that ended in Rodney's death was marred by errors, some of which made it "almost inevitable" that someone would be shot. They said police could have arrested Rodney and others they suspected of planning an armed robbery hours before the confrontation. | |
| The inquiry into Rodney's death was delayed for years because police did not want to reveal the intercept evidence that led them to believe he and others were planning an armed robbery. The authorities had claimed that an inquiry into the death could not be held in public because some of the material was too sensitive, plunging the family into a seven-year battle to get a proper hearing. | The inquiry into Rodney's death was delayed for years because police did not want to reveal the intercept evidence that led them to believe he and others were planning an armed robbery. The authorities had claimed that an inquiry into the death could not be held in public because some of the material was too sensitive, plunging the family into a seven-year battle to get a proper hearing. |
| Firearms officers were briefed by their bosses that the suspects were armed, possibly with automatic weapons able to fire 1,000 bullets a minute. Weapons were recovered from the vehicle, but there were no machine guns. | |
| A senior lawyer from the Crown Prosecution Service is to examine the new evidence. The lawyer has experience in health and safety law, corporate negligence cases and prosecuting the police. | |
| An original investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission led the CPS to decide there was no criminal case for police to answer. The officer who shot Rodney had shot two suspects dead in his career as an elite firearms officer, and wounded two others. At the inquiry he denied being "trigger happy", insisting he fired fearing an imminent threat to the life of himself and others. | |
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