Man shot dead by police in Romford

A 41-year-old man has been shot dead by armed officers in east London, Metropolitan Police say.

He was said to be making threats in the Collier Row area of Romford, claiming he had a gun.

He was shot at a petrol station by officers at about 04:45 BST and was pronounced dead at 05:17, the Met said.

The shooting has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as well as to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards.

The IOPC said investigators had recovered a non-police firearm from the scene.

Local resident Angela Dorman was heading to work when she saw a "large police cordon" and heard "lots of police sirens".

"As I got to the Esso garage I could see white tarpaulin covering something, there were also gloves and tissues lying on the ground," she said.

"I could see one police officer standing on the garage's concourse."

Forensics officers could be seen moving a tent on to the Esso petrol station on Collier Row Road shortly before 11:00.

Tracy Green, 39, who lives about 100 yards from the station, said she was woken up by two gunshots.

She said: "I was just turning over and heard 'bang, bang' and thought 'oh that sounded like gunshots'.

"It's crazy really. It's too close to home."

Her neighbour Darren Buckley, 50, said he saw at least two ambulances and several police vehicles when he went outside.

He added: "I didn't hear gunshots, but seeing all the vehicles I thought it was a car crash or something, seeing all the blue lights.

"I saw an ARV (armed response vehicle) race away as well."

The IOPC is carrying out its own investigation into the fatal shooting.

Regional director of the IOPC, Sarah Green, said the three firearms officers who were at the scene when the man was shot had provided witness accounts and footage from their body-worn cameras.

"We have met with the man's next of kin and we will be keeping them informed as our investigation progresses," she said.

London Ambulance Service sent two ambulance crews, two single responders and two incident responders to the scene, while the air ambulance also dispatched a road vehicle in a bid to save the man.

So far this year, the IOPC has begun several separate investigations into actions involving the Met Police.

These include a 21-year-old man who was shot at 13 times in Hackney; an officer who was filmed "striking a man during a political protest" and two people who died while in police custody.

The IOPC said this was the first fatal shooting involving police in England and Wales this year.