Man shot dead by police marksmen

A weapon was recovered from the scene

A man has been shot dead by firearms officers after reports that a member of the public had been threatened.

Officers went to Tumblefield Road, in Stansted, near Sevenoaks, Kent, following a 999 call reporting an armed man making threats, police said.

The dead man was not from the local area and was not a registered firearms keeper, they said. A weapon was recovered from the scene.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) inquiry has begun.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "At this time there are no other reports of any other people injured, and no-one else was involved in the incident."

Cordon lifted

The incident happened at about 0800 GMT on Saturday close to the village of Stansted, about four miles from Sevenoaks town centre.

A cordon was put in place and was lifted at about 1720 GMT.

The IPCC said a weapon had been recovered and three of its investigators had been to the scene.

IPCC commissioner David Petch said: "I would like to extend my sympathies to the family and friends of the dead man.

"I have decided that this will be an independent investigation carried out by IPCC investigators.

"We will be looking at why the police were called and what happened when they deployed officers."

It was confirmed that two unarmed officers were initially sent to the scene, later followed by armed officers.

A post-mortem examination has been held but the dead man's identity has not been revealed.

Anne Roberts, landlady of the Black Horse pub on Tumblefield Road, described the area as a close-knit village of about 200 residents.

'Farming community'

It is close to a rural area where pheasant and rabbit shooting is common, and is also close to a number of deprived urban areas, she said.

It is thought the shooting happened near the junction of Tumblefield Road and Wrotham Hill Road, not far from the A20 and the M20.

There's a big farming community and a lot of people have shotgun licences Marie Farrell

Marie Farrell, 25, who lives about 100m from where the incident happened, said residents heard sirens and were later telephoned by police who told them not to leave their homes.

She said: "All we know is that someone has been shot by the police.

"We don't know who it is. It's just crazy. We just hope it wasn't an accident.

"There's a big farming community and a lot of people have shotgun licences around here.

"It's a nice rural area. It's a bit strange what has happened."

In June, a woman was shot and killed in the centre of Sevenoaks by armed police.

Ann Sanderson, 37, was believed to have been the first woman to have been shot dead by police for at least 27 years.

The IPCC is also investigating that incident.