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Metropolitan Police Service officers involved in a non-fatal shooting in Hackney, east London followed policy and procedure throughout the incident, finds an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Derrick Fatunbi, who was armed, was taken to Royal London Hospital after being shot four times by MPS firearm officers at a property in Mandeville Street, Hackney during the early hours of 20 March 2018.

Six armed officers attended reports of an armed robbery in the Hackney area. Further investigations led them to the address in Hackney, where they found Mr Fatunbi who was suspected of being connected to the earlier incident.

Officers contained the property and attempted to contact Mr Fatunbi. A confrontation followed, during which Mr Fatunbi pointed and fired what was thought to be a double-barrelled shotgun at officers on two occasions. In response to this, the officers fired thirteen shots at Mr Fatunbi who suffered serious injuries. Paramedics were called and dressed gunshot wounds to Mr Fatunbi’s legs and abdomen.

Our investigators attended the scene shortly after the shooting and conducted a detailed examination. Evidence gathered during the investigation, which concluded in March 2019, included witness statements taken from police officers, members of the public and forensic experts. Police officers’ body-worn camera footage, radio and telephone transmissions and experts’ reports were also analysed.

IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem recently said:

“The IOPC has a duty to investigate when members of the public are seriously injured following police contact and we conducted a thorough investigation.

“Evidence gathered during our investigation found no indication that any officer may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner which would justify disciplinary proceedings.

“In coming to this conclusion, we examined the actions of all the police involved, including the officers who fired the shots, and we found that they were in line with policy and procedure.

“The police officers who carried out the operation had been briefed that they might face an armed threat. Body-worn video evidence shows that Mr Fatunbi fired his weapon at officers through the property’s window.

“The officers were clearly faced with a very dangerous situation and used the force they considered necessary to defend themselves and other members of the public who could have been seriously injured or killed by Mr Fatunbi.”

Publication of our report has awaited the outcome of criminal proceedings, which concluded on 28 February 2020, where Derrick Fatunbi was convicted of one count of attempted murder, one count of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear and two counts of robbery.