Man ‘with handgun’ walking towards Sainsbury’s shot twice by armed officers in Thetford

Police marksmen shot a man twice as he walked towards a supermarket in Norfolk, according to investigators.

Norfolk Police were called to London Road in Thetford at 8.25pm last night when a man following reports of a two-vehicle crash by the cemetery gates in London Road, Thetford.

Locals reported to police that they had seen a man carrying a black handgun on London Road heading towards Sainsbury’s.

When officers arrived, one of the cars – a Mercedes van – was badly damaged, the airbag had gone off, and the car was unoccupied, the force said.

The other car – A Honda Jazz – was damaged on one side. The driver of the Honda Jazz suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment in hospital.

He was seen on the southbound carriageway of the A11, near the Brandon Road roundabout, walking in a northbound direction.

Armed response officers attended the southbound carriageway.

The man was approached by police officers, and a short time later shot by police from a short distance away.

The IOPC confirmed that ‘two shots were fired by police shortly before 9pm’ and what appears to be a non-police issue firearm has been recovered from the scene.

The man was given first aid but was declared dead at the scene shortly before 10.15pm.

The dead man is believed to be in his sixties but formal identification has yet to take place.

An investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances of what happened.

Norfolk Police have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as is ‘standard procedure’.

Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall of Norfolk Police said: ‘This is a very serious matter, sadly someone has lost their life, and I understand people will want to know what happened.

‘However, there is a duty on this organisation, my colleagues and I, to protect the integrity and independence of the IOPC investigation so it can progress and make its own assessment of what happened.

‘We are cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation and are in the process of handing over all body-worn video footage, 999 calls and drone footage so this can be thoroughly investigated, and to ensure full transparency.’

The force’s Assistant Chief Constable David Buckley said: ‘We understand this incident will cause concern in the community.

‘Our highly trained armed officers deploy to hundreds of firearms related calls each year, but incidents where police discharge firearms are thankfully incredibly rare. A full and independent investigation is already underway.

‘We are of course cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation and will be handing over all body-worn footage and 999 calls to ensure transparency.

‘We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.’

The IOPC said they have dispatched investigators to the A11.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: ‘Fatal police shootings are rare, however, when they do occur it’s essential that an independent investigation is carried out into the actions and decision-making of the officers involved.

‘Our investigation is in its initial stages and we are in the process of obtaining and reviewing evidence as we begin to piece together the circumstances surrounding this incident.

‘Our thoughts are with the man’s family and everyone affected by this incident. We will be making contact with the man’s family in due course to explain our role and the next steps.’

The A11 remains closed in one direction from the Thetford Ranges roundabout to the Brandon Road roundabout.

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