Bedfordshire Police shot dead a man in Bedford on Tuesday after he barricaded himself inside a property overnight and threatened officers, bringing a tense stand-off on Aylesbury Road to an end after more than eight hours.
Officers were first called shortly after 10.40pm on Monday to reports that vehicles were being damaged. Police said they found a man in his 40s who had blocked himself inside a home and was making threats. Specialist armed officers, police negotiators and other emergency services were sent to the scene, and nearby residents were evacuated from their homes while efforts continued through the night.
Police said that after sustained attempts to persuade the man to give himself up, he presented a weapon shortly after 9.30am on Tuesday and officers fired. He was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead shortly before 10.30am, Bedfordshire Police said.
The force said the man's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. Residents displaced during the incident are now being helped back to their homes, and police said there is not believed to be any ongoing risk to the public.
The shooting has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which has launched an investigation. That watchdog case will now sit alongside the force's own account of what happened, including why armed officers were deployed, how negotiations unfolded over several hours and what led to the moment police opened fire.
A pathologist will carry out a postmortem to determine the cause of death, and the Bedfordshire coroner has been informed. For the family of the man who died, the immediate questions now turn from the police cordon to the investigation that will examine whether the final minutes of the siege were handled lawfully and proportionately.
