Man shot dead by police after car crash

A man believed to have been carrying a handgun has been shot and killed by police after a car crash in the Norfolk town of Thetford.

The man is thought to have been the driver of one of two vehicles involved in the collision on London Road at around 8.25pm on Sunday. Norfolk Police said he left the scene holding what was described as a handgun and was shot by armed officers nearby.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The force has notified the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has launched an investigation.

Assistant Chief Constable David Buckley said: "We understand this incident will cause concern in the community. "Our highly trained armed officers deploy to hundreds of firearms related calls each year, but incidents where police discharge firearms are thankfully incredibly rare.

A full and independent investigation is already underway. "We are of course cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation and will be handing over all bodyworn footage and 999 calls to ensure transparency.

"We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident." Police said the A11 remains closed in both directions from the Thetford Ranges roundabout to the Brandon Road roundabout. An IOPC spokesperson said the watchdog has begun an independent investigation, which "is in its very early stages".

"We were notified by the force after the incident on the A11, at Thetford, near the exit for London Road, at 9:39pm and declared an independent investigation a short time later," the spokesperson said. "Despite the man receiving treatment for his injuries, he sadly died at the scene.

"We sent investigators to the post-incident procedure to begin our enquiries and start gathering evidence.".