Man shot by police in Coventry killed lawfully, jury concludes

A man shot dead by police during a drugs raid was killed lawfully, a jury has concluded.

Sean Fitzgerald, 31, was killed on 4 January 2019 in Burnaby Road, Coventry, where West Midlands Police officers were investigating the activities of a suspected organised crime gang.

The officer who fired the fatal shot – Officer K – told Coventry Coroner’s Court he had been standing in the property’s back garden when he saw a curtain move and a black object being held.

Mr Fitzgerald, who was unarmed, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest after exiting the property at about 18:20 GMT.

Six years after his death, an inquest jury was asked to consider two conclusions of lawful or unlawful killing by Officer K.

The officer, as well as a number of others, have had their anonymity protected during proceedings.

The jury identified three failures in the police operation, including the level of intelligence and inadequate prior surveillance of premises.

Liam Fitzgerald, Sean’s brother, held his head in his hands as the jury announced its conclusion.

The events that led to the fatal shooting began in 2017, when Warwickshire Police started investigating an organised crime gang which it believed was dealing Class A drugs in the Nuneaton, Bedworth and Coventry areas.

During the inquest, Officer K described to jurors how he had been in the garden of 56 Burnaby Road when he saw a man holding what he thought was a gun.

“I thought he was about to shoot us,” Officer K told the jury. “I fired one shot at the male to stop his actions.

“It seemed to take an eternity, I was aware it was quick but at the time it seemed to slow down. I thought I was going to be shot.”

It was found that the object in Mr Fitzgerald’s hand was a mobile phone.