Man shot by police officers in Bromsgrove during firearms incident is jailed for nine years - The Bromsgrove Standard

Man shot by police officers in Bromsgrove during firearms incident is jailed for nine years

Bromsgrove Editorial 26th Jun, 2020 Updated: 29th Jun, 2020   0

A MAN who was shot by armed police officers in Bromsgrove after having an imitation firearm in a public place has been jailed for nine years.

The sentence was handed to Malvern man Edward Mark Williams at Worcester Crown Court last Friday following the incident in November 2018.

Police were called to reports of a man with a handgun on Birmingham Road and Williams was shot by trained firearms officers.

The 55-year-old, who had previously pleaded guilty to three offences, suffered gunshot wounds and was given emergency first aid by police at the scene before being taken to hospital where he received surgery and has since made a full recovery.




Williams was handed nine months for escaping lawful custody, seven years for two counts of possession of an imitation firearm with the intent to cause fear of violence and nine years for having an imitation firearm with intent to resist arrest.

The sentences will be served concurrently meaning he will serve nine years in total.


Det Ch Insp Carl Moore said: “Thankfully incidents such as this are very rare in West Mercia and I am pleased Williams has been brought to justice and the sentence reflects the extremely serious nature of these offences and the fear he caused.

“Our specially trained firearms officers are highly skilled and will only ever discharge their weapons as a last resort if it is absolutely necessary and I would like to thank the local community for their understanding and patience displayed while we dealt with this incident.”

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the incident in October found the level of force used was ‘proportionate and appropriate’.

After arriving at the scene, two firearms officers encountered the man and instructed him to drop the weapon.

He turned towards the officers and pointed the weapon at them.

After the man failed to comply with their commands, the officers discharged their firearms five times, with two shots hitting him in the chest and leg.

Along with other officers, they immediately gave first aid and the man was taken to hospital.

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