M5 gun incident reported before police shooting

POLICE in the Midlands received a report of a man pointing a gun at another motorist on the M5 about an hour before a driver was shot by police just off the motorway near Bristol.

West Mercia Police said officers received the call at 8.30am on Wednesday, with the man reported to be near junction eight of the motorway.

A man died after officers from Avon and Somerset Police opened fire on the A369 Portbury Hundred road, close to the M5 Gordano services, at about 9.30am.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been informed of the call, a spokesman for West Mercia Police said.

Avon and Somerset Police said it had received calls from “concerned” people travelling on the M5 who reported seeing a man in a car with a handgun. The vehicle left the motorway at junction 19 and was stopped by officers on the A369, known as the Portbury Hundred.

Shots were fired in an “incident involving police firearms” and a man died, a force spokeswoman said.

The IPCC was informed of the incident and has begun an independent investigation.

A spokeswoman for the police watchdog said: “What appears to be a non-police issue firearm was found at the scene and will also be subject to examination.”

Images of the scene showed what appeared to be a handgun on the roof of the red Suzuki Swift. There were at least four bullet holes in the off-side of the vehicle and the driver’s side front window was smashed.

A post-mortem examination of the man’s body was due to take place on Thursday.