List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United Kingdom


This list of people killed by law enforcement officers in the United Kingdom documents cases of people who died directly or indirectly because of the actions of British law enforcement officers, regardless of the manner of death, duty status of the officers, or if they acted officially or unofficially. It includes officers working for all law enforcement agencies, existing or historical, in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but excludes crown dependencies, colonies or other political entities subject or previously subjected to the direct control of the government of the United Kingdom. It also excludes deaths for which other government agents are responsible, such as deaths as a result of actions of the British Armed Forces.
Many of the killings were by the Royal Ulster Constabulary during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Police in Northern Ireland killed 56 people during the conflict, including at least 30 civilians and at least 20 paramilitary members. There is also evidence linking some RUC officers to attacks by Ulster loyalist paramilitaries.

Single deaths

2020s

2010s

NameDateLocationPolice forceDeath Result of Police ActionDescriptionRuling
Usman Khan29 November 2019LondonCity of London PoliceDirectKhan stabbed five people – two of whom later died – in the vicinity of London Bridge. He was wearing a fake explosive vest, and was shot twice by police, dying at the scene.
Leroy Junior Medford2 April 2019Reading, EnglandThames Valley PoliceIndirectJunior was arrested on 1 April 2019. While in custody he swallowed drugs he was packing. Despite several opportunities to implement the Drugs Standard Operating Procedure, officers failed to do so. Proper care and monitoring was not provided, leading to his deteriorating health being unnoticed. He later died in hospital.Failure to implement, the Drugs Standard Operating Procedure.
Trevor Smith15 March 2019Birmingham, EnglandWest Midlands PoliceDirectShot by police who surrounded a property. Police said a non-police issued firearm was recovered from the property.
Sean Fitzgerald4 January 2019Coventry, EnglandWest Midlands PoliceDirectShot, while unarmed, during an arrest operation at a property. Witnesses reported hearing four or five gunshots. Two other men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.
Richard Cottier9 April 2018Romford, LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectCottier called police in the early hours of the morning telling them he had taken an overdose and claiming he had a gun. A member of the public also informed police of a man with a gun. Officers found Cottier at a petrol station and fired two shots. He died at the scene.
Nuno Cardoso24 November 2017Oxford, EnglandThames Valley PoliceIndirectAfter being confronted by officers at his student residence at Ruskin College, Oxford, Cardoso was wrestled to ground, held face down with an officer sitting on his legs. He was then struck with a baton to the back of his knee. Cardoso collapsed in the back of a police van due to ingestion of drugs. Officers failed to follow guidance to take him to a nearby hospital, instead going to Abingdon Police station.Uncritical narrative conclusion
Spencer Ashworth27 September 2017Portishead, EnglandAvon and Somerset ConstabularyDirectPolice responded to reports of a man in a car with a handgun threatening other drivers. Witnesses said Ashworth was shot up to 10 times through the passenger window before he was pulled from the car by officers who began attempting to resuscitate him. A non-police issued firearm was recovered.
Rashan Charles22 July 2017Dalston, LondonMetropolitan PoliceIndirect After police stopped his vehicle, Charles fled the vehicle and was pursued by police into a shop, where he placed an object into his mouth and resisted arrest. The officer, who wore a body camera, threw Charles to the ground, held him down by the neck, and tried to reach inside his mouth. A member of the public helped him restrain Charles. Charles "became ill", was given emergency treatment at the scene, and was taken by ambulance to Royal London Hospital, where he died later that morning. The object Charles tried to swallow was reportedly recovered at the scene.Accidental Death
Khalid Masood22 March 2017Westminster, LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectAfter using a vehicle to hit and kill pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, Masood ran into the grounds of the Palace of Westminster, where he fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer. An armed police officer, believed to have been the Metropolitan Police close protection officer for Michael Fallon, the Secretary of State for Defence, witnessed the stabbing, ran towards the scene and fatally shot Masood.
Yassar Yaqub2 January 2017Huddersfield, EnglandWest Yorkshire PoliceDirectYaqub was shot by police at junction 24 of the M62, after they received a tip-off that he was carrying a gun in the car in which he was a passenger.
Lewis Skelton29 November 2016Hull, EnglandHumberside PoliceDirectShot by armed response officers while reportedly wielding an axe, and died of his wounds in hospital.
Josh Pitt9 November 2016Luton, EnglandBedfordshire PoliceDirectPolice responded to reports of a woman being attacked in a house. Shortly after arriving at the house, armed police officers shot Pitt. He was treated by officers and paramedics before being taken to hospital, where he died. Police recovered a "number of knives".
Dalian Atkinson15 August 2016Telford, EnglandWest Mercia PoliceIndirect Police responded to a call that Atkinson was in a "manic state" and was threatening to kill his father. After being tasered, Atkinson went into cardiac arrest on the way to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
William Smith2 May 2016Goudhurst, EnglandKent PoliceDirectPolice fatally shot Smith during an armed operation. Smith was on bail in connection with the death of a 73-year-old man.Inquest ongoing
James Wilson29 March 2016South Shields, EnglandNorthumbria PoliceDirectWilson was shot in the chest by officers responding to reports of a man in the street with a handgun. He was taken to hospital, but died on 1 April.Lawful Killing
Jermaine Baker11 December 2015Wood Green, LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectThree men were planning to free Izzet Eren, who was being taken in a prison van to Wood Green crown court over firearms offences. Armed police intercepted the men. Baker, who was in the front seat, was fatally shot as police surrounded his vehicle. He was unarmed, although there was an imitation Uzi in the rear foot-well behind the driver's seat.Inquest ongoing
Richard Davies21 October 2015St Neots, EnglandCambridgeshire PoliceDirectShot by police responding to a report of a domestic incident in a house.Lawful Killing
James Fox30 August 2015LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectShot by police after reportedly making threats to kill.Lawful Killing
Sheku Bayoh3 May 2015Kirkcaldy, ScotlandPolice ScotlandUnclear Bayoh was taken into police custody whilst α-PVP was in his system. It was reported he had been brandishing a knife but this was later disproved by video footage. He sustained bruising from police batons, had his arms and legs restrained and died of asphyxiation in police custody.Inquest ongoing
Dean Joseph5 September 2014LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectShot by a police marksman after holding a woman at gunpoint in an armed standoff.Lawful Killing
Anthony Grainger3 March 2012Culcheth, EnglandGreater Manchester PoliceDirectGrainger was shot by police while unarmed. In January 2014 the Crown Prosecution Service announced they would be prosecuting Chief Constable Peter Fahy under health and safety legislation over the shooting, and a full public inquiry into Grainger's death was announced in early 2016.Greater Manchester Police found to be at fault.
Mark Duggan4 August 2011LondonMetropolitan PoliceDirectPolice stated that officers were attempting to arrest Duggan on suspicion of planning an attack, and that he was in possession of a handgun. Duggan died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The circumstances of Duggan's killing resulted in public protests in Tottenham, which led to conflict with police and escalated into riots across London and other English cities. In January 2014 a jury returned the verdict of lawful killing.Lawful killing
Kingsley Burrell31 March 2011Birmingham, EnglandWest Midlands PoliceIndirect Died in hospital as a result of asphyxiation after being detained under the Mental Health Act and left in a face-down position on a hospital bed. One police officer of the West Midlands Police was sacked due to gross misconduct having given a misleading account to investigators. His actions were not found to be contributory to Burrell's death. Injuries from restraint were not found to be the cause of Burrell's death.Inconclusive
Marc Ringland3 February 2011Belfast, Northern IrelandPolice Service of Northern IrelandDirectWhile robbing a petrol station armed with a knife, Ringland threatened an off-duty police officer, who then fired a single shot with his authorised personal protection handgun, fatally wounding him.
Olaseni Lewis3 September 2010LondonMetropolitan PoliceIndirect After being admitted to a mental health ward, Lewis died 3 days after a period of prolonged restraint by police officers. It was identified that a litany of failures by both police and medical staff contributed to Lewis's death. The misconduct case was dismissed on 6 October 2017 as claims of wrongdoing were "unproven" and any failings were "performance matters".

2000s

1990s

1980s