Man shot lifeless by cops in Milton Keynes ‘constructed his personal gun’ and feared ‘poltergeist’
David Joyce, 38, had a ‘bizarre’ conversation with a neighbour on the day he was shot dead by police at Milton Keynes railway station and posted about ‘gun fights’ on Facebook
The man shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes railway station made his own gun at home and had dreams of a shoot-out, it has emerged. David Joyce, 38, finished a stint in jail for possession of a firearm, as well as making his own gun, just months before he was fatally shot on Tuesday.
Joyce’s Facebook page showed him aiming a bow and arrow and a firearm in a wooded area. There was also a photo of a Taser he had built from a “200,000 voltage ignition coil” before boasting of having made a “burning laser” that could slice through plastic and blind someone “instantly”.
Police officers rushed to Milton Keynes Central Station following reports of a man with a gun. However, it later emerged he had been carrying a knife and no other weapon was recovered from the scene.
According to reports Joyce had become paranoid just before the fatal shooting and told a neighbour the police were “out to get me.” “He was a quiet lad, didn’t say much but I think he had some mental health issues,” a neighbour told MailOnline.
“On the day he was shot, he came to my gate and started talking to me. He was very paranoid and said ‘can’t you see them? The cameras…they’re following me everywhere. The police are out to get me.’
“It was a bizarre conversation but a few hours later he was shot dead by armed police. He had a knife apparently and ran at them but I wonder if they could have handled it differently because he was clearly unwell.”
Another neighbour said Joyce had only been out of prison for a few months. Joyce, originally from Galway in Ireland, had lived with his partner in a ground floor flat in Milton Keynes.
In 2016, Joyce wrote on Facebook: “Keep having the same kind of mad dreams over and over, getting shot at, having gun fights, being attacked by creepy weirdos and being in jail.
“Not to mention getting stabbed and oh yes, my favourite, the poltergeist I always dream of being locked in a house with. Telling you I do wake up full of adrenaline expecting something or someone to be there. This is every night.”
He had been jailed in 2022 over the offences of firearm possession and possession of an offensive weapon as well as one count of possession of an article for use in connection with conversion of imitation firearms.
Milton Keynes commander, Chief Superintendent Emma Baillie of Thames Valley Police, said following the shooting: “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.”
The force has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and they will carry out an investigation into the fatal shooting.
Officers remained at the scene for some time following the shooting and there was significant disruption to travel in and out of the area on the day.
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