Yassar Yaqub: Investigation completed into police shooting

Yassar Yaqub was shot dead by a police officer on the M62

A police watchdog has completed its investigation into the fatal shooting of a man by armed officers.

Yassar Yaqub, 28, was killed in a car near the M62 in West Yorkshire on 2 January 2017.

Last year, a man was jailed for firearms offences after a loaded pistol was found in the vehicle.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had finalised its report which would be shared with West Yorkshire Police and the coroner.

In a statement, the IOPC said: "Our priority has always been to ensure that no stone has been left unturned during this investigation, and this is reflected in the comprehensive report we have produced.

"The criminal investigation and subsequent trial in late 2018 restricted our access to a number of key witnesses which inevitably had an impact on when we could finalise our findings

"We have endeavoured to keep all interested parties, especially the family, regularly updated on our progress and as always, our thoughts remain all those affected by Mr Yaqub's death."

Mr Yaqub was a passenger in the car and was shot through the windscreen.

Mr Yaqub was a passenger in one of two cars travelling in convoy when four unmarked police vehicles stopped them at junction 24 of the motorway in Huddersfield.

During the trial of the car's driver Mohsin Amin at Leeds Crown Court in December 2018 jurors heard that Mr Yaqub ignored the instructions of the armed officers.

The court was told he had crouched down and as he brought his hands back up the officer was "under no doubt he was holding a handgun".

Mr Yaqub was shot through the car's windscreen.

Amin was jailed for 18 years after being convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.