Police find gun in car of man killed in M62 shooting

Police say they found a gun in the car of a man shot dead during a "pre-planned" operation off the M62 on Monday.

Yasser Yaqub, 28, was killed after West Yorkshire Police received intelligence of criminal possession of a firearm, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The father of two was travelling in a fleet of expensive cars when officers opened fire at junction 24 near Huddersfield. An Audi at the scene had three bullet holes in the windshield.

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The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it was "working hard" on the circumstances of the killing and that a "non-police issue" gun had been found. Five people were also arrested: three from the shooting and another two after a vehicle was stopped in Bradford's Chain Bar area at about the same time, reports the BBC. Some needed hospital treatment for injuries "not related to firearm discharge", police said.

The operation, which is said to be unrelated to terrorism, has caused disquiet in the local community. Officers were deployed in central Bradford yesterday evening after protesters took to the streets carrying signs saying: "Police don't murder".

A police spokesman said the demonstration was peaceful, adding: "There was minimal disorder, which quickly de-escalated after dialogue with officers at the scene and there was no necessity to make any arrests."

A spokesman for Yaqub's family told the BBC they were "in shock and are distraught", and asked for their privacy to be respected.

Yaqub, from Huddersfield, was acquitted in 2010 of attempting to murder two men during a shooting in a suburb of the city. The judge threw out the case after "inconsistencies" were found in a key witness's account, reports the Huddersfield Examiner.

Man dies on M62 during 'pre-planned' police operation

3 January

A man has been killed during a police operation on an M62 slip road.

The man, who has not been named, was shot dead by West Yorkshire Police during the "pre-planned" operation on Monday evening.

Five people were also arrested – three from the shooting and another two after a vehicle was stopped in Bradford's Chain Bar area at about the same time, the Daily Telegraph reports. Some needed hospital treatment for injuries "not related to firearm discharge", a police spokesman said.

No officers were injured and the incident, which took place close to junction 24 near Huddersfield, is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Police say the operation was unrelated to terrorism.

Traffic is now able to access the M62 eastbound at junction 24, the BBC says, although all other slip roads at the junction remain closed.

The car apparently at the centre of the operation is believed to be an Audi, the broadcaster added, saying a photo seemed to show three bullets in the windscreen and a smashed side window.

Witnesses said they saw "five or six" police cars at the scene, as well as a Jaguar and a Mercedes E Class, reports The Guardian.

West Yorkshire Police said: "During a pre-planned policing operation near to the M62 in Huddersfield a police firearm was discharged and a man has died.

"An immediate referral has been made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who are in attendance in West Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire Police are fully cooperating with their investigation."