Man shot dead by police investigating series of armed robberies

Officers opened fire on the unnamed man, believed to be in his 40s, in Brighton, East Sussex, just after 1pm.

What appeared to be a black handgun not used by police was found by his body and was later being examined to find out whether it was real or fake and whether it had been fired.

Investigators said armed officers were deployed as part of a pre-planned operation connected to a series of armed robberies in Brighton and mid-Sussex over the past couple of months.

One witness reported hearing two gunshots ring out before police tried to revive the dying man. He was pronounced dead a short time later at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Police said in a statement: “Sussex Police have confirmed that a man shot by armed officers in Brighton has died in hospital.

“The man was shot at 1.03pm on Thursday in Rock Place by officers on a pre-planned operation to locate a man wanted in connection with a number of crimes in Sussex in recent months.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) sent investigators to the scene to take initial accounts from officers involved.

Superintendent Steve Whitton, of Sussex Police, said: “We attended the address in order to locate a man who was wanted in connection with these robberies.”

He added: “He has not been identified yet but when he has, full support will be offered to his family and those that have been affected by this incident.”

Police activity was centred about halfway down the street, where a gazebo was erected to protect the crime scene from the rain.

IPCC commissioner Mike Franklin said: “IPCC investigators are currently in Sussex carrying out inquiries to establish exactly what happened in this case.

“This will involve taking initial accounts from those officers involved to establish which officer or officers fired and why, as well as identifying evidence on police systems such as incident logs and radio transmissions.”

Investigators would be looking for witnesses and also gathering any CCTV images of the area. The planning of the operation would also be looked at.