Police Officer shot dead during training

[Antony]

A police officer has died after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in a training exercise in Manchester.

The male officer died in hospital after the incident, which took place in Thorp Road, Newton Heath, about a mile from the city centre, at about 1135 BST.

The officer was taken to North Manchester General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later.

It was not immediately clear whether the officer had been shot accidentally by one of his own colleagues.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the training exercise had been "reasonably routine" and that similar exercises happened "fairly frequently".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been notified about the fatal shooting and has sent three investigators to the scene to carry out an initial assessment.

The area where the incident happened is the site of a disused former electronics factory, known locally as the Sharp Building.

It was the former distribution centre for Sharp, the electronics giant, which used to sponsor Manchester United.

Police sealed off entrances to the site but forensic officers in white boiler suits could be seen in the goods yard outside the warehouse, which was cordoned off with yellow tape.

An ambulance was also on site.

'Real fast'

The factory is surrounded by other industrial units and wasteland and one of the main links into Manchester runs alongside.

Speaking in the Commons, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told MPs: "The whole House will be saddened to learn of the tragic death today of a police officer during a training exercise with Greater Manchester Police.

"This demonstrates the dangers that police officers face on our behalf."

Brothers Haroon and Bilal Razaq, who work at a plumbing supplies shop near the site entrance, said they were alerted by police cars and an ambulance entering the site.

Haroon, 17, said: "All of a sudden there were police cars and an ambulance pulling skids and going round the corner on to the site.

"There were six or seven police cars and they just shot past all the standing traffic. They were going real fast, so we knew it was something serious."

Bilal, 25, added: "We have been here for around three months and we thought the building was closed and Sharp had moved somewhere else.

"We have never seen an officer in uniform around here and we didn't know the police used it for training."

Leon Willis, 26, who was working in the same plumbing shop, said: "We have had the door open all day because of the weather and we heard a loud bang. I don't know if it was a gun shot or not."



Taken from the BBC news, sad news.

[Hitman]

Very sad news. R.I.P. I wonder how it happened exactly.

[Misawa]

It's Manchester, what do you expect?

R.I.P.

[Technologic]

^^ Lol.

But still, how stupid can you be to shoot another officer? "/

[Pyroka]

Was the officer with the gun american?

Sorry, that was disrespectful... RIP.

[Technologic]

LOL. My dad who works at north manchester and had to work the case just came home and was like "what good are policemen if they shoot each other?!"

[xxMATTGxx]

Lmao, I love it how people say "Its Manchester, what do you expect?" There is far more worst places then Manchester. But yeah If the officer shot the other then what the hell was he thinking?

[Technologic]

Lmao, I love it how people say "Its Manchester, what do you expect?" There is far more worst places then Manchester. But yeah If the officer shot the other then what the hell was he thinking?

Mosside, levenshulme, miles platting. They're pretty buggared imo

[Antony]

I think you are jumping to conclusions too quickly, for those saying "its manchester what do you expect" - it was a training exercise?

For all we know the arv officers were testing rounds on a target whilst another officer walked behind and got hit by a round? We wont know until it's been released by gmp exactly how it occured.

Moss side, levenshulme etc have nothing to do with the fact the police were using the building for a training exercise. :s

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7444769.stm - Our Asst. Chief Con has released a press statement at Chester House re the officer dying.. I'm glad I'm not at work, hate all the news crew hanging outside..

[N-Dubz]

R.I.P
..