EX-SOLDIER SHOT DEAD BY POLICE
Two arrests as ‘raid gone wrong’ probed
GUN cops were at the centre of a probe last night after shooting a man dead in a raid on a house.
The victim, said to be an ex-soldier, died when officers stormed a suspected cannabis farm in an “intelligence-led operation”.
Neighbours suggested the man, named locally as 31-year-old Sean Fitzgerald, had been shot in the back – a claim quickly rejected by police chiefs.
Two other men of 26 were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and remained in custody last night.
Neighbours reported hearing four or five shots when police raided the house in Coventry at 6.20pm on
Friday. Some claimed Mr Fitzgerald, a car dealer, was there visiting friends. A pal named Ali described him as “a very good guy”, adding: “He served in the Army for all of us – the police, everybody.”
Friend Cory Brown, 28, said armed officers used ladders to enter through windows, claiming: “It was like World War Three.”
A woman living nearby said a police officer had told her the raid had “gone wrong”.
West Midlands Police confirmed they did not find any guns in the house but were still searching. They also retrieved footage from armed cops’ body videos.
Asked about claims Mr Fitzgerald had been shot in the back, Assistant Chief Constable Sue Southern said: “That is not my understanding.”
The death has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.