A gun and two knives were found at the home of a man shot dead by police on Wednesday, investigators have said.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has opened an investigation into the shooting, formally identified the man as Richard Davies, 41, and said a postmortem found he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Davies’ neighbours and friends have expressed their shock at the incident in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, describing the hydraulic fitter, a father of three, as a “very nice person”.
“The day everything happened, he came in the shop, we chatted normally. He said his missus was going out, he came and bought a few beers and said he was going to sit at home and enjoy himself. That was the last chit-chat we had,” said Sohan Tumber, 60, the owner of a local shop where Davies was said to be a regular.
Tumber, who described his son as a good friend of Davies, said he first heard about the shooting the morning after it happened, while taking his grandchildren to school.
“We are still in shock, we can’t get over it,” he said. “He liked Indian food, he came in and took recipes off my wife. He was a nice family man, I don’t know what went wrong.”
Davies’ mother, Gill Davies, wrote on Facebook: “God only knows how things came to this ... Richard was loved and respected by a lot of people, family and friends alike.”
On Friday afternoon, a forensic tent and large cordon remained outside the house Davies shared with his wife Samantha and children. At least 10 forensic officers were at work at the scene and a heavy police presence remained.
Gordon Woodend, 62, a neighbour, said he had been watching football when he heard his dogs barking and a commotion outside.
“I went out to get them. As I went out there, I heard two shots,” he said. “I got the dogs, went upstairs and looked out of the back-room window. I saw the police breaking down Richard’s door, go in with automatic rifles, about six of them.”
Describing the impact the incident had had on the community, he said: “People are just baffled really. Normally, it’s pretty good round here. Everyone’s shocked, he seemed a nice enough guy.”
The IPCC associate commissioner Guido Liguori said: “It is essential when the police use lethal force that there is a thorough and independent investigation of that decision, and I would like to assure all those concerned that we will investigate the full circumstances surrounding this incident.”
Police said they were called to Davies’ home at about 7.45pm on Wednesday over concerns for the people inside. Neighbours reported hearing raised voices shortly before the officers arrived.
Davies was shot about 15 minutes later. The IPCC said early evidence suggested that only one shot was fired by the officers who attended. The incident is the first case of a firearm being discharged during an operation in Cambridgeshire.
