Armed police cleared over siege death of father

ARMED police acted "diligently, patiently, professionally and bravely" during a two-day siege in which a gunman died, the police watchdog has found.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Oct 2010, 01:09 BST

Updated 29th Oct 2010, 01:09 BST

Kevin Quirke, 49, was found dead in his home in Overend Road,

Sheffield, at the end of the stand-off in January last year. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that the siege began when South Yorkshire Police officers went to arrest Mr Quirke over an alleged breach of a non-molestation order.

Mr Quirke became aggressive, barricaded himself inside the property with his two children and threatened to start a fire.

Shots were fired and fireworks were thrown from the house during the siege, the IPCC found. After a 16-hour period in which police did not hear from Mr Quirke, firearms officers went into the house and found him dead in a bedroom.

South Yorkshire Police Sheffield