A man is in critical condition in hospital after being shot by police officers in south London, according to Scotland Yard and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Police said the incident occurred during a planned eviction, which was due to take place on Friday morning.



Unarmed officers were said to be escorting a housing officer when a man was reported to have emerged from one of the rooms in the property in Lambeth. A siege began when armed officers were sent to deal with the situation and the man was shot by police outside the premises shortly before 5pm, officers said.



The London ambulance service attended and treated the man at the scene, before he was taken to a south London hospital suffering serious injuries.

In a statement released while the siege was going on, the Metropolitan police said: “Officers attended and were threatened by the suspect who is believed to be in possession of a firearm.” But, later on Friday, a spokeswoman said that she could not clarify whether or not the man had, in fact, been armed because the IPCC had subsequently opened an investigation into the shooting.

The IPCC said on Friday night that it could not confirm whether or not the man had been armed with a firearm or any other weapon. For a police shooting to be lawful, officers have to show that they acted to protect their own lives or those of others.

The Metropolitan police said: “As in any shooting, officers from the Met’s directorate of professional standards (DPS) have been informed and this incident has been referred to the IIPCC which has started an independent investigation.” They said cordons remained in place in the area.

One neighbour said the police told him soon after they entered the property at around 9.45am that the man was dangerous and that he should leave his home. “I didn’t realise there was so many police cars until I came out. They said to stay indoors at first, but in the last hour they have said they needed to vacate the building,” he told the Evening Standard, which did not name him.



The Met said: “Unarmed police officers initially attended an address at around 9.45am where they found a male at the property. Armed response officers subsequently attended and remained at the scene for several hours before shots were fired, injuring the man. He was taken by ambulance to King’s College hospital in a critical condition.

“IPCC investigators have been deployed to the scene, the post-incident procedure and to the hospital to make initial enquiries. The next of kin are in the process of being identified and contacted,” the police said.

