IPCC says ‘what appears to be a non-police issue firearm’ found in car of Mohammed Yassar Yaqub, 28, who was killed on Monday

The family of a man shot dead by police on the M62 motorway have said they are “shocked and distraught” because detectives believe he may have been carrying an illegal firearm.

Mohammed Yassar Yaqub, 28, was shot dead through his windscreen when armed police swooped on his white Audi sports car on a slip road of the busy motorway in Huddersfield on Monday night.

As the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) launched an investigation into the shooting, friends paid tribute to the young father they described as “no angel”. His family’s lawyer released a statement saying: “Mr Yaqub’s family are in shock and are distraught. They would ask the media to respect their privacy at this difficult time.

“The family are fully aware that the incident that led to the death of Mr Yaqub is currently being investigated by the IPCC and they do not wish to make any further comment at this stage.”

Police said the incident was “related to information received about criminal possession of a firearm” and was not terror related. There were five arrests – three at the scene and two in a simultaneous “related stop” of another vehicle in Bradford, police said.

IPCC investigators said “what appears to be a non-police issue firearm” was found in Yaqub’s vehicle after he was shot. A postmortem examination is due to take place on Wednesday and the coroner has been informed, the watchdog said.

IPCC commissioner Derrick Campbell added: “My thoughts are with Mr Yaqub’s family and all those affected at this difficult time. Though in its early stages, this investigation is making good progress but will be complex. We will be working hard to establish exactly what happened and would ask for patience while our investigation continues.”

The shooting sparked protests by a group of demonstrators on Tuesday night, closing off a busy road in Bradford.

Police vans were called when protesters, many wearing scarves or balaclavas to hide their faces, hurled abuse at officers. One demonstrator said: “We are here to let people know what goes on and to show we are upset about yesterday’s killing by the police.”



A few missiles were thrown at the dozen or so police vehicles that had blocked the roads around Leeds Road. Officers in riot gear were called as the protest moved towards Bradford city centre.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said the protest began to

disperse at about 10.30pm, adding that there was “minimal disorder” and no arrests.

The force added in a statement: “Police empathise with the heightened tensions and engaged with protesters to appeal for calm. They are continuing working with members of the community, partners and local officers to maintain community cohesion and police relations.”

The shooting follows a recent surge in gun crime in West Yorkshire, including an incident on Christmas Day when a police officer was fired upon while taking a witness statement outside a nightclub in Bradford. The officer was not injured in the incident, which is not believed to be connected to the shooting of Yaqub.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Scene on the M62 on Tuesday morning. Photograph: Josh Halliday/The Guardian

Witnesses described an “absolute hive of police activity” as armed officers swooped on the white Audi near junction 24 of the motorway at about 6pm on Monday, boxing in Yaqub’s vehicle before firing at least three shots through his windscreen.

The police investigation continued on Tuesday as armed officers searched a number of properties across Bradford and Huddersfield, including Yaqub’s family home where about 20 grieving relatives and friends had gathered to pay their respects.

At least five police vehicles arrived in the surrounding streets, including a dog van, and officers with guns were positioned at the front and back of the house before leaving about 30 minutes later.

The force said it was cooperating with an IPPC investigation into the shooting.

Two neighbours said Yaqub’s house had been shot at in a drive-by incident last year. A family friend said he had been targeted two or three years ago with shotgun pellets.

“It’s a bit of a shock, really,” said Melanie Heyer, who said she had CCTV installed outside her front door after the incident. “Two men with shotguns came to his house to try to shoot him last year. It was after school and there was kids everywhere.”

Another neighbour, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said there had been a “load of police” on the street after the alleged shooting last year. “It’s all drugs related,” he said. “It’s getting commoner and commoner unfortunately.”



Mohammed Yassar Yaqub. Photograph: Facebook

Yaqub, who was regularly seen with high-performance sports cars outside his family home, was acquitted seven years ago of attempted murder in the Huddersfield suburb of Birkby. Aged 21 at the time, he was accused of being one of the gunmen in a drive-by shooting in September 2009. The case against him at Bradford crown court was dropped in May 2010 due to a lack of evidence.

Friends paid tribute to the father of two on social media on Tuesday. Saima Khan said: “So sad, my heart goes out to his parents.” Brigid Harbour said: “Very sad for his family.” Another friend wrote: “You were no angel but you were still one of the good guys and did not deserve this.”

Sam King posted on Facebook: “May Allah grant him the highest rank in Jannat-Al Firdous, Ameen Mohammed Yassar Yaqub, 27, from Huddersfield was killed by the police yesterday, whatever the reason, this was wrong to do, and didn’t deserve, leaves behind his family and friends. Sad news.”

Pictures from the scene of the shooting appeared to show a silver Audi that had been boxed in by a silver Mercedes E-class on the junction 24 slip road. The Audi appeared to have three distinct gunshot marks on the driver’s side of the windscreen.

Gemma Wilson, a Conservative councillor who was in the area at the time, said five or six police cars appeared to be acting as a barricade on Ainley Top roundabout, off the M62.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A silver Audi at the scene with bullet holes in its windscreen and several sets of keys on its bonnet. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

“I was coming back at 6.15pm from the cinema with the kids and you could hear the police cars’ sirens as you approached,” she said. “The police cars on the roundabout seemed to be being used as a barricade but I’m not sure … There seemed to be some other unmarked cars as well, parked up, but I’m not sure whether they were involved in the operation or not. It was an absolute hive of police activity.”

People had initially believed the incident was a lorry or bus crash, Wilson said, but she added: “It didn’t look like a normal car crash. We just had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

“An hour later I walked to the supermarket and the traffic was absolutely awful, you could see a sea of blue flashing lights. The traffic this morning is getting quite bad on the first working day after Christmas as well, so it’s going to hit the area quite badly.”

Shahnaz Malik, 54, a foster carer whose house overlooks the scene, said she was “absolutely petrified, terrified” because the incident had taken place so close to her home.



“It was like time stood still, everyone was just stood in shock. The police and the cars had come to an absolute stop,” she said. “Police were looking into the car and then the ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes. I didn’t hear the gunshots. It looks like there’s some things dragged out of the car, like a bag that’s been emptied.”

She added: “It’s a little village and a very tightknit community, but we haven’t had a chance to speak about it yet.”

Rahul Tandon, from Halifax, told BBC Radio Leeds he was stopped by police on the exit slip road of junction 24. “As we pulled off the motorway we could see a lot of police vehicles, a lot of flashing lights,” he said. “We were basically the first car that was stopped by police and we just waited and waited.

“Over the next 10 to 15 minutes there was frenetic activity as more and more police vehicles arrived. At about 6.15pm to 6.20pm policemen were running up the slope to an ambulance and beckoning them to come quickly.”

The incident was the fifth fatal police shooting in England and Wales in the past nine months and the first involving West Yorkshire police since December 2010.

A spokesman for the force said on Monday night: “Around 6pm this evening during a pre-planned policing operation near to the M62 in Huddersfield, a police firearm was discharged and a man has died.

“The slip roads east- and westbound at junction 24 of the M62 remain closed. An immediate referral has been made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who are in attendance in West Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire police are fully cooperating with their investigation.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, the West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, said he was being kept updated by the chief constable.

“The Independent Police Complaints Commission have now launched an investigation following a mandatory referral to them and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage until more details are known,” he said.

