Man with crossbow shot dead by police in London

Police forensic officers at the scene near Bywater Place in Surrey Quays, south east London, where a man has died after being shot by armed police. Photo / AP

A man reportedly armed with a crossbow was fatally shot by an officer in London on Tuesday as he broke into a home where he had threatened the occupants, the Metropolitan Police said.

The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, was reportedly armed and threatened people in a home in southeast London. He was trying to break into the house when officers arrived.

When the man threatened officers who attempted to speak with him, armed police were called in.

A marksman shot the man as he got inside the property. The man died at the scene after officers and paramedics tried to provide first aid.

It is rare for police in the UK to fatally shoot someone. In the year ended March 31, there were only three killings by police in England and Wales, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, or IOPC.

Neighbours reported hearing banging on a door and shouting and screaming and said they thought a man and woman were fighting.

”I could hear someone screaming and then everything became quiet,” Valeria Bocanegra said. “It is quite a shock. There is a family behind this situation. A man has died and it is a horrible situation.”

Two of the people inside the building received minor injuries, police said but did not disclose how those people were injured.

Police said the IOPC, a watchdog agency, was conducting an independent investigation into the shooting.

“I understand the local community will be concerned at the events that have taken place this morning,” Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh said. “We will fully support the IOPC investigation into the full circumstances of what happened.”