Video captured a scene of terror and confusion in which a man, allegedly armed with a crossbow, stormed into a south London property before being shot dead by police.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called to Bywater Place, Southwark, at 4.55am by people inside a home reporting a man trying to break into the area.
Police said the man, in his 30s, was armed with a crossbow and other weapons and was threatening to harm people inside the home.
Investigators are looking into the relationship between the man and the people who were at the premises.
Video from the scene reviewed by the Guardian shows a woman in distress, repeatedly shouting “please” and at times hearing the sound of a pang.
The Metropolitan Police Department said unarmed local police officers tried to calm the man down, but he was threatened and the man entered the home.
At that point, armed officers in an armed response vehicle decided to open fire, according to initial police reports.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and police said two people inside the home suffered minor injuries.
Audio from the video records a man’s voice yelling “armed police,” followed immediately by the same voice saying, “Everyone at this address, come to the door with your hands out.”
An earlier video showed an officer at the scene radioing into the police control room that a man had forced his way inside, armed with a crossbow and possibly a sword. There are even more calls from the police to “withdraw” and “containment.”
Neighbors said they heard repeated banging, yelling and a woman’s screams before hearing police sirens and gunshots around 5 a.m.
They said the area was normally peaceful. Maisie Cooper, 24, said: That never happens here. ”
Most neighbors said they had no idea who lived at the property. One said he believed only adults lived there. He believed he saw one woman and two men, all in their 20s, socializing in the backyard.
There was a white and yellow tent in front of the compound, and piles of things were scattered on the ground. Drone footage of the scene appears to include gas masks and body protection equipment.
The cul-de-sac was cordoned off by a police cordon, where forensic scientists in blue overalls and members of the independent police conduct agency, the police watchdog, were seen carrying out door-to-door searches.
Akbar Baloch, 52, a restaurant owner, said: It also sounded like someone was banging on the door. There were banging sounds and shouts. It sounded like a man and a woman. ”
By law, all police shootings must be investigated by the IOPC. Police are authorized to use force to protect themselves or others, but it must be proportionate to the threat.
DCS Seb Ajay Addo, who heads Southwark Police, said: We understand that local residents are concerned about the events that took place this morning. We fully support the IOPC investigation to fully establish what happened. ”
An IOPC spokesperson said: “This morning we launched an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a man by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in Southwark, south London.
“Following the incident, which occurred shortly before 5am, we were notified by the MPS and at approximately 6:40am they announced they would be launching an independent investigation. We have dispatched personnel to the scene.”
British police are mostly unarmed, but officers with guns may be called in if a situation is deemed dangerous enough to warrant an armed response.
A fleet of armed response vehicles patrols the capital and usually includes three armed officers. There are numbers to back up police claims that armed officers rarely open fire.
