Rally for Sean Fitzgerald fatally shot by police

Sean Fitzgerald was shot at a house in Coventry in January 2019

Friends and family of a man fatally shot by West Midlands Police say they want justice for him three years on from his death.

Sean Fitzgerald, 31, was wounded as he exited a house in Coventry during a planned police operation.

The officer who fired the fatal shot has been the subject of a police watchdog investigation over the matter.

On Tuesday, more than 50 people staged a rally outside a Coventry police station to call for answers.

Mr Fitzgerald's partner Sharlene Mitchell said she wanted no more delays in finding out what happened.

She said the police were meant to "serve and protect", and yet her experience was officers knocking her door to "tell you that they have killed your partner, and even three years on, no answer why - no reason, nothing".

Mr Fitzgerald was shot in January 2019 as he emerged from the rear of the property on Burnaby Road while police were entering through the front.

No weapons were recovered from the home, the opening of his inquest heard.

Mr Fitzgerald's partner Sharlene Mitchell spoke at the rally

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Fitzgerald died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

The inquest is yet to resume and an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is on-going.

Musician Breeze said Mr Fitzgerald should not have lost his life

Coventry musician Breeze, a friend of Mr Fitzgerald, attended the rally where he shared a song he had written in tribute to him.

He said "as professionals, as firearms [officers], you should have more care; you should know when to pull the trigger and when not to".

Carla Cumberbatch, whose brother Darren died after being restrained and tasered by police in Warwickshire in 2017, also joined the protest and said her family was still awaiting IOPC findings into her relative's death.

"These are matters that are not being dealt with effectively, fairly and in a timely matter," she said.

More than 50 people gathered outside the police station in Coventry on Tuesday