St Neots shooting: Man shot by police 'goaded' officers

A man who took his three children hostage "goaded" police before he was shot dead, an inquest has heard.

Richard Davies, 41, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest after shooting at firearms officers in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, in October 2015.

One officer, referred to as F7, told jurors: "I genuinely thought one of us was going to get shot and killed."

Last week, the inquest in Peterborough heard Mr Davies wanted to end his life after learning his marriage was over.

Jurors heard he tied up his children at the house in Duck Lane after spending the day drinking, but they managed to escape and call 999.

Firearms officer F7 told the inquest he and a colleague heard a loud bang and saw a "muzzle flash" from a downstairs window as their car arrived at the property.

He said: "We both jumped out of our skin at that point - it looked like it was coming towards our vehicle."

The officer said Mr Davies shouted abuse to try and "provoke" them to shoot.

"I can remember him goading," he added.

Mr Davies fired a total of six shots from a window before being shot by another officer, the inquest was told.

Asked why officers could not have contained the situation until a negotiator could arrive, F7 said: "How long do you want us to be shot at for?"

He said a Taser and baton gun would not have been effective as Mr Davies was inside the property and too far away from them.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said a gun and two knives were found inside the home.

The jury inquest continues.