A man has been fatally shot by armed police officers in Norfolk following a serious road traffic collision on a busy main road.
Incident Unfolds on London Road
Norfolk Constabulary were called to London Road in Thetford at approximately 8.25pm on Sunday, December 28. The emergency call concerned a report of a two-vehicle collision. According to the force, one man, believed to be the driver of one of the vehicles involved, left the scene on foot. He was reportedly holding an item described as a handgun.
Armed Response and Fatal Shooting
Specialist armed response officers were deployed to the area. A short distance from the initial crash site, contact was made with the suspect. During the encounter, police discharged their firearms, resulting in the man being shot. Despite the immediate efforts of emergency medical services at the scene, the man was pronounced dead.
Assistant Chief Constable David Buckley addressed the gravity of the situation: “We understand this incident will cause concern in the community. Our highly trained armed officers deploy to hundreds of firearms related calls each year, but incidents where police discharge firearms are thankfully incredibly rare.”
Major Road Closure and Independent Investigation
In the aftermath, the A11 was closed in both directions between the Thetford Ranges roundabout and the Brandon Road roundabout. The closure remained in place overnight as forensic examinations were conducted.
The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is standard procedure in such incidents. A full independent investigation is now underway. ACC Buckley confirmed the force's cooperation, stating: “A full and independent investigation is already underway. We are of course cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation and will be handing over all bodyworn footage and 999 calls to ensure transparency.”
Police have stated they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. The investigation will seek to establish the complete sequence of events leading to the fatal shooting.
