The use of weapons familiar from medieval England continues in London, with a man armed with a crossbow being shot dead by police early Tuesday morning.
Firearms officers from the Metropolitan Police shot and killed a man with a crossbow early on Tuesday morning in Southwark, London, after receiving reports that a man with a crossbow was trying to break into a house.
Power Said Firearms enforcement officers were dispatched after local police were unable to establish a suspect after receiving a report of a man in possession of a “crossbow or other weapon” that could pose a threat to residents.
The man who was shot had not been identified at the time of the incident, and police said they were working to identify his next of kin. Two residents of the home involved in the incident also suffered minor injuries.
Police officers at the scene near Bywater Place in Surrey Quays, south-east London. A man has died after being shot by armed police responding to a call for help early this morning. Just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, a man in his 30s armed with a crossbow reportedly tried to break into a Bywater Place building and threatened to harm those inside. Photo date: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 (Photo by Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images)
Detective Chief Inspector Sebu Adjei-Addo said he understood the concerns of local residents over the incident and said officers would support the Independent Police Investigative Service’s investigation into the shooting.
It is standard practice for police authorities to investigate when police actions result in the death of a civilian, or when a firearm is fired by an officer.
The crossbow incident is one of many uses of the weapon in London’s ongoing crime crisis, and although British law prohibits the use of firearms in almost all situations, criminals still find ways to do so. As reported last month, knife crime will soar in 2023, with police recording more than 40 incidents per day. Gun crime also increased by 6% from the previous year.
around paper According to the Action Against Armed Violence campaign group, “Greater London marks a worrying trend in violent crime, with an estimated 103 murders in 2023”. According to the report, 67 people were stabbed to death and eight were shot to death.
