Policeman who shot de Menezes kills again (Update: Menezes family "horrified")
Source: Iraq.war
November 2, 2006
A firearms officer involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes shot a 42-year-old man during a police operation in Kent.
The man died later in hospital after the incident at a Nationwide building society in New Romney on Tuesday.
Scotland Yard's CO19 firearms unit were supporting Flying Squad officers as they tackled a suspected armed robbery.
Mr de Menezes was shot dead after police mistook him for a suicide bomber at Stockwell Tube station in July 2005.
The BBC's home and legal affairs correspondent, Margaret Gilmore, said: "Sources have told me one of two officers who shot dead the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell last year also shot and injured a man during this operation."
The police officer involved had been taken off firearms work after the Stockwell shooting but returned to armed duty after the Crown Prosecution Service decided he would not be prosecuted.
Scotland Yard confirmed a police officer involved in the New Romney incident had been relieved of firearms duties, pending an inquiry.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also begun an investigation into the shooting.
The dead man, who has not been named, was injured at about 2000 GMT and died later at the William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford.
Three men were arrested and a sawn-off shotgun was recovered during the operation but no officers were injured.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "The Specialist Firearms team (CO19) involved in the Flying Squad operation in Kent did include officers from the same team who were involved in the Stockwell shooting in July last year.
"The Met has a small cadre of specialist highly-trained firearms officers who last year were deployed to 2,529 incidents and were involved in 938 pre-planned operations.
"They perform an extremely difficult but vital function responding to armed threats against the public and their unarmed colleagues and it is extremely rare for officers to fire their guns.
"As is proper the IPCC is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting. Their enquiries are ongoing but they have confirmed that a firearm was recovered at the scene.
"It is deeply regrettable when anyone dies as a result of police action."
The Metropolitan Police Service faces a trial under health and safety laws following the shooting of Mr de Menezes.
His family have also launched a legal action challenging a decision not to charge individual officers over his death.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6108530.stm
De Menezes family 'horrified' by new police shooting
Evening Standard, London
02.11.06
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes reacted with horror today after it emerged that one of the police marksmen involved in his fatal shooting had shot a man during an operation to foil an armed robbery.
Weeks after returning to firearms duties, the officer - who cannot be identified - opened fire on a man allegedly taking part in a robbery on a building society in Kent.
The incident led to a wave of crisis meetings at Scotland Yard amid claims that the marksman should not have been on the front line so soon after the death of Mr de Menezes, who was mistaken for a suicide bomber at Stockwell Tube station in South London in July last year.
Mr de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was shot dead at point-blank range by two officers the day after the July 21 attempted bombings.
A spokeswoman for the family said: "The family of Jean Charles de Menezes expressed shock and disbelief at the news that officers involved in the killing of Jean Charles have killed again.
"Family members were horrified to learn that the same officers have been given a licence to kill again even before the investigative process into Jean's death is complete."
Alex Pereira, Mr de Menezes' cousin, placed the blame for the situation at the door of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.
He said: "We are shocked that someone responsible for the death of an innocent man has been given a licence to kill again.
"The investigations into Jean's killing haven't finished but the same officers have been handed back their guns as if nothing has happened.
"Sir Ian Blair might have hoped he could sweep Jean's death under the carpet but when the same mistakes keep being made, he has to be held responsible."
Asad Rehman, spokesman for Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign, said a "shadow" would hang over all the officers involved in his death until there was an "open and public investigation" of his shooting.
For more than a year, the marksmen, whose names remain secret, were on restricted duties within Scotland Yard's CO19 specialist firearms unit.
But in July this year, after they were told they would not face criminal charges, they were controversially cleared to carry firearms again and take part in operations.
