The Electronic Telegraph 25 April 1995 HOME NEWS

Unarmed raider shot dead by police

By Nigel Bunyan

The victim, believed to be in his early twenties, was killed after he and three accomplices broke into the Excelsior club in Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne.

All four were confronted by members of a Northumbria Police tactical firearms unit who had been tipped off about a possible armed robbery the previous day.

Last night, as the Police Complaints Authority launched an inquiry into the shooting, Alan Oliver, Assistant Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, offered the dead man's family his "sincere apologies". But he added: "Equally, it was in the process of a criminal offence being committed. We would not have mounted an armed operation if we had not thought firearms may have been used by the criminals.

"We simply don't know whether the gang had any weapons. It is possible that an unarmed man was shot, but the possibility that the gang had a firearm is a line of inquiry we are still examining."

He added: "There is no question of suspension for any of the officers involved."

Although a later police search of a flat on the nearby Newbiggin Hall estate turned up an imitation gun and ski mask, no gun was found with the dead man.

Police, who did not come under fire themselves during the incident, confirmed that a "hand-held object" had been found beneath the man's body but declined to say what it was.

Mr Oliver said a considerable period of time had elapsed between the break-in and the shooting, but offered no explanation for the delay. Nor would he say whether the club's lights were on at the time of the shooting.

It is not known how many warnings, if any, the man was given before the police marksman killed him with a single bullet. Police have identified the dead man as a local criminal. However, they have declined to name him until relatives have been informed.

The three other men who broke into the club were arrested after initially escaping through a police cordon. Last night they were being interviewed and a number of other men are being sought.

Mr Oliver confirmed that the club's steward, Don Gray, and his son, John, were being protected by armed officers as the gang broke in through a rear ground-floor window shortly after 3am.

When asked how the rest of the gang had managed to escape, he said: "There was very thick fog at the time and conditions were not ideal."

1 Mar 95: Policeman clinging to stolen car shoots driver

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