Man shot by police in Bedford was 'harmless', say neighbours

Neighbours have described a man who died after a police shooting as "harmless" and "polite".

Officers said they had tried to negotiate with a man who had "barricaded" himself inside a house on Aylesbury Road, Bedford, but armed officers fired after he presented a weapon at about 09:30 BST on Tuesday.

The Bedfordshire force was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has started an investigation.

Donna and Paul Freeman, who lived just yards from the man who was shot, said they had been left feeling numb.

The couple said their neighbour had mental health issues and private ambulance staff had tried to "coax him out" of his home on Saturday.

At 06:00 on Monday, the Freemans had to evacuate their house. Police told the BBC the man had threatened to turn his gas on and cause an explosion.

When the Freemans returned four hours later, they found "distraught" members of the man's family, who had heard the gunshots.

Paul Freeman said: "He was just a genuine, quiet, nice guy, you know? He kept himself to himself... He was always polite, always waved."

His wife added: "He was harmless, you know? We didn't see him an awful lot of the time because he lived on his own, but like you say, he'd always wave."

Robert Nsubuga, who lived next door, said his neighbour had been making noise in recent weeks but not been "causing any trouble".

He recalled seeing the man minutes before the police arrived, at approximately 22:00 on Monday.

"He was sitting outside his door playing music," Nsubuga said.

"I came out to put the bin out and he said 'hello' and I said 'hello' back and he continued playing his music."

The next morning, at about 06:15, police told his family to leave their home. They were told the man was "threatening to burn the house, open the gas".

Nsubuga described his neighbour as "a decent guy" who appeared to have mental health issues.

Mark Swales, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said his neighbour had been a "very nice chap".

He said: "His father passed away a few months ago and I think that, sort of, upset him quite bad, but he was a lovely fellow."

Over the weekend he had called 101 to raise concerns about his neighbour, as he had been worried about his health, something he said other residents had also done.

At one point on Monday night, he said he had seen up to 10 police officers with riot shields.

The 65-year-old said he had spoken to his neighbour's mother since the incident and she had been "in shock".

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, was woken up at 05:30 by the sound of a fire engine.