Investigation under way into fatal police shooting in Kensington

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation is progressing after a man was fatally shot by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in Kensington on Saturday (11 December).

We have established that police received reports of a man with a firearm in Kensington at about 3pm. Around 20 minutes later officers in a marked police car, who were responding to those reports, approached a taxi when it stopped by Kensington Gardens.

Shots were fired by officers and a man in his mid-20s, who was in the back of the taxi, sustained gunshot wounds. Officers provided first aid and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance also attended. Sadly the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.08pm. HM Coroner has been informed and a post mortem examination is due to take place on Thursday.

We have so far verified that a total of three shots were fired by two officers. What appeared to be a non-police issue firearm was recovered from the scene and that will be subject to forensic testing.

After being notified by the MPS, our investigators were sent to the scene to gather evidence and oversee forensic examinations. We also attended the police post incident procedures where officers involved provided their initial accounts. All officers are being treated as witnesses at this stage.

Our investigators have gathered police body worn video and are collating CCTV footage from the area. An account has been provided by the taxi driver who was not hurt during the incident.

IOPC Regional Director Graham Beesley said: “We have made contact with the man’s family to explain our role and I send them my condolences for their loss. My thoughts are with everyone affected.

“Our enquiries are at an early stage and we will be reviewing body-worn video footage from the officers involved as part of our investigation. I can assure everyone that we will carefully examine the circumstances to establish what happened and why.”