Man 'armed with crossbow' shot dead by police in London

A man who was shot dead by officers in southeast London on Tuesday had been threatening people with a crossbow, said Scotland Yard.

The man, thought to be in his 30s, also reportedly had a knife, a sword and a hatchet, and was threatening to harm residents inside an address in Southwark. Although he was wearing body armour, he died at the scene.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation following the man's death, which is standard practice after a fatal police shooting, noted Sky News.

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The incident has refocused attention on concerns about the ease with which the public can acquire high-powered crossbows, capable of firing bolts at fatal velocity.

In 2010, Stephen Griffiths, who called himself the "Crossbow Cannibal", was sentenced to life in prison after he admitted murdering three women in Bradford. Another infamous case came in 2018 when, armed with two crossbows, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo shot and killed his estranged heavily pregnant wife in east London.

On Christmas Day 2021, a man arrived at Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow and threatened to kill the Queen. Following the incident, Priti Patel, then the home secretary, launched a review to consider "strengthening controls" over the purchase of these weapons.

Pressure is growing for tighter restrictions. Laura Sugden, whose partner Shane Gilmer was killed in 2018 in a crossbow attack in their home in East Yorkshire, has long campaigned on the issue. She said that many police forces do not properly record crossbow incidents.

In 2022 she met Home Office officials alongside her solicitor, Gemma Vine. "People don't ask for ID – even if they are supposed to," Vine told The Telegraph, "and because there are no restrictions, no one checks criminal records or mental health history."

The possession of crossbows by adults is not prohibited and crossbow owners don't have to register them, said Insight, but it's an offence for anyone aged under 18 to buy or possess one.