Police challenge replace on man shot lifeless by officers at Milton Keynes prepare station – as locals worry ‘city is extra unsafe than ever’
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Milton Keynes residents feel the town is more unsafe than ever after a man carrying a knife was shot dead in a standoff with armed police.
Thames Valley Police and British Transport Police were yesterday called to reports of a man carrying a firearm at Milton Keynes Central station at 12.55pm.
Armed officers challenged a white man, who has since been confirmed to have been carrying a knife, outside the station on Elder Gate.
The armed man, moved at speed towards officers with the knife before a shot was fired by police, Thames Valley Police have said.
Despite attempts to save the man’s life at the scene, he was pronounced dead at 1.44pm on Tuesday.
The man’s next of kin have not yet been informed, so he has not been formally identified. The IOPC has launched an investigation into the incident.
A large cordon last night remained in place outside the train station, however trains continue to operate as usual.
There is also disruption to the bus station and taxi rank outside the station as this area is currently part of the scene.
Locals told MailOnline that the town feels ‘really unsafe’, with many still in shock following the incident.
Irisa Gordoni, who moved to the town 10 years ago from Italy, feels that while knife crime was common, the town has begun to feel increasingly unsafe, especially for women.
A man has been shot dead by police at Milton Keynes railway station after reports of a man carrying a knife (picture from the scene)
Officers were called to Milton Keynes Central following reports of a man carrying a firearm just before 1pm yesterday (picture from the scene)
‘We run a small family business and sometimes you know, so I’m always worried you know that something could happen in my shop or close to my shop,’ she said.
‘It just makes me feel unsafe really, I feel like everyone feels a bit scared.
‘You are scared to say anything to anyone because you don’t know how it will go down,’ she added: ‘The train station is only 15 minutes from here.’
She continued: ‘I feel the difference, it’s become really unsafe to walk around. It used to be different because I was new to the area…I used to like it a lot.’
Those who saw the incident have also come forward to share their accounts upon seeing the standoff between police and the armed man.
Witness Domenico Scalzo, 38, a delivery driver, said: ‘It was very shocking – I will definitely have nightmares.’
He described how he rushed outside to see police officers giving the man – who he said appeared to be in his 20s and was bleeding – CPR.
‘It’s really difficult for the police, there are teenagers around here as young as 12 carrying massive knives, but you don’t expect to see people gunned down in the streets by the police in the UK.
‘I was having my coffee and I saw a police Volvo arrive. I heard a pop – I used to work with firearms in private security, I knew it wasn’t a car backfiring or anything.’
Residents living above the station in Milton Keynes reported hearing a loud ‘bang’ during the incident
Police officers could be seen trying to save a man’s life after shots were fired at around 1pmon Tuesday
The station had a large cordon around it
Domenico, an Italian national, said he’s lived in the UK for 13 years – seven in London before moving to Milton Keynes.
‘I’ve lived in places that are more dangerous and never seen anything like this before,’ he added.
A worker at a nearby store added: ‘I have never known anything like it. It is obviously concerning, we have never heard anything happen like this before.’
Residents living in a flat above the train station reported hearing a single loud ‘bang’ during the incident.
Alan Brockbank, 70, said: ‘All I heard sounded like something heavy had been dropped, it didn’t sound like a shot or anything.
‘We could see the person lying on the floor and they were trying to resuscitate him.’
He claimed that he witnessed a man receiving CPR chest compressions who was partly obscured by the awning at the station exit.
Mr Brockbank and his wife Edith, 67, who are both retired, assumed someone had suffered something like a heart attack at the time.
‘There was all sorts of activity trying to get people back, there was somebody trying to film it, the police were trying to tell them to go back,’ Mrs Brockbank said.
‘We didn’t connect the bang with what was happening. I started looking to see what could have been dropped and I couldn’t see anything related to that sound.’
Mr Bockbank added: ‘It was only later on we saw armed police with automatic weapons. There was two of them.’
Thames Valley Police said armed officers responded and challenged the man at the station before shots were fire by police
Officers tried to save the man, who a witness said appeared to be in his 20s and was bleeding from his stomach
Pictured: Emergency services at Milton Keynes Central railway station after a man has been shot dead
A man who lives in the flats above the station, but did not want to be identified, said he thought it was a gunshot immediately ‘because it was really loud’.
Another resident added: ‘I heard the original bang from the shot, I think, but saw quite a lot of commotion outside, but that was pretty much it – they were pretty speedy.’
Following the noise, she went downstairs to see the CPR being performed on a man outside the train station.
‘There was quite a lot of police already there, they kind of sectioned off the area,’ she said.
Milton Keynes commander, Chief Superintendent Emma Baillie, said: ‘We understand that this incident may cause concern locally, but we would like to reassure the community that there is no wider risk to the public.’
Shazna Muzammil, a councillor and Conservative group leader at Milton Keynes City Council, previously said she was ‘deeply shocked’ by what had happened.
She said: ‘Our thoughts are with all those there and affected by it.
‘Very thankful to the police and emergency services for their swift response in keeping everyone safe.’
A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously said: ‘We can confirm we have begun an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of a man by Thames Valley Police (TVP) at Milton Keynes railway station today [Tuesday].
Despite attempts to save the man, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 1.44pm
It is understood that the station has been closed while a cordon is in place and emergency services continue to deal with the incident
There is not believed to be any further risk to the public, police said
‘We were notified by TVP shortly after the incident and IOPC investigators have been sent to the station and the police post-incident procedure to begin gathering information.
‘Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died and all those who have been affected by this incident.
‘Our role in these circumstances is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decisions taken by the police.
‘We declared an independent investigation at 2.26pm. It is in its very early stages and no further information is available at this time.’
