Witness plea after man died in roof fall
THE organisation which investigates police conduct is appealing for witnesses after an incident in which a man died after falling off a roof in Coventry.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident which took place in Robin Hood Road in Willenhall on September 29, during which a 31-year-old man died after falling from the roof of a house.
Initially, West Midlands Police had said that the man was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, but later revealed that he was only detained by officers before being taken to hospital by paramedics. He died in hospital the following morning. Due to the circumstances surrounding the death, the IOPC has launched an independent investigation into the death, following a referral from West Midlands Police .
This week, the IOPC has asked that any witnesses, or anyone who might have any information, to get in touch.
The investigation team carried out houseto-house enquiries in the area on two occasions in the past two weeks.
They revealed that they were looking for further witnesses, CCTV or other video footage of the incident.
IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said: “I would like to send my condolences to the family of the man who died.
“We have met with them to discuss our role and we will keep them regularly updated on our investigation.
“Our focus is on the interaction between the man and the police officers who detained him.
“This incident lasted for some time and we gather there were a number of people in the street.
“To help us conduct as thorough an investigation as possible we would urge anyone who saw what happened to come forward as soon as possible.”
The force had originally released an official statement saying the man who had fallen from the roof had been arrested by officers on suspicion of attempted burglary before he was taken to hospital.
The original statement reads: “Police were called to Robin Hood Road, Willenhall, last night (September 29) at around 7.30pm to reports that a car had collided with parked cars.
“The driver fled from the car and climbed onto the roof of a house nearby before falling.
“On arrival, officers arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of attempted burglary; the ambulance service attended and he was taken to hospital where he died this morning.
“Inquiries are on-going to establish the circumstances of what has happened.
“A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who have launched an independent inquiry.”
The new statement On October 1, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “Police were called to Robin Hood Road, Willenhall, last night (29 September) at around 7.30pm to reports that a car had collided with parked cars.
“The driver fled from the car and climbed onto the roof of a house nearby before falling. “On arrival, officers detained a 31-year-old man in connection with an attempted burglary; the ambulance service attended and he was taken to hospital where he died this morning.
“Inquiries are on-going to establish the circumstances of what has happened.
“A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who have launched an independent inquiry.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales.
It investigates the most serious matters, including deaths following police contact, and sets the standards by which the police should handle complaints.