Man shot himself during armed police pursuit - IOPC
Mathew Simmons was found in a car that was stopped along the A52 in Bingham
- Published
A man died after shooting himself in the head during a police pursuit in Nottinghamshire, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said.
An investigation was launched after armed officers from Leicestershire Police stopped the silver-coloured Mazda Tamura Mathew Simmons was driving on the A52 in Bingham on 9 November.
The IOPC revealed on Friday that the 46-year-old died as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
The watchdog said it had concluded police acted appropriately in their involvement.
The IOPC said the decision to deploy armed officers to follow Mr Simmons was "reasonable"
An inquest into Mr Simmons's death was held on 14 June, with "an outcome of suicide" returned, the watchdog said.
An IOPC spokesperson said: "The inquest concluded that Mr Simmons had died after discharging his shotgun when driving on the A52 while being pursued by police, and that expert evidence indicated the shotgun was fired prior to a collision with a police vehicle, and not as a result of it."
Officers gave first aid to Mr Simmons but he died at the scene.
A non-police issue firearm was also discovered in the vehicle.
The IOPC spokesperson added: "We gathered statements from witnesses including police officers involved, analysed police bodyworn video and vehicle footage along with radio transmissions.
"We also consulted with a number of experts including in firearms tactics and ballistics.
"Our investigation found that the decision to deploy armed officers, the drawing up of a tactical plan to perform an enforced stop on Mr Simmons's vehicle, and the implementation of the plan were reasonable."
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