A plumber, who was shot by police while wielding a chainsaw and wearing a gas mask, has been named.
According to The Telegraph, Sean O’Meara was shot in the abdomen by officers while at his parents’ house in Hollingbourne, near Maidstone.
The 36-year-old is believed to have suffered life-changing injuries and is now understood to be in an induced coma in King’s College Hospital in London.
His half-brother Liam O’Meara told The Telegraph he believes officers used unnecessary force and O’Meara has “mental health problems”.
The 44-year-old added: “The police could have shot him in his leg. They could have Tasered him, couldn’t they? The bullet’s gone straight in and out, so it has not caused many problems.”
Officers were sent to the property near Leeds Castle at 7.15pm on Monday (July 7) to conduct an arrest over an alleged assault.
O’Meara refused to come out of the house, so the officers were instructed to withdraw, and an armed unit was sent in.
Body-worn footage shows O’Meara holding a chainsaw and another object in his hand, which, at the time, officers believed appeared to be a handmade firearm or IED.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), a baton round was fired, and the man took cover behind a hedge before a police dog was deployed.
O’Meara then ignored orders to put down the chainsaw, and a second baton round was discharged.
Seconds later, he moved towards the officers and was shot with a conventional firearm.
A detailed search of the scene continued yesterday (July 8), and among the weapons found were the chainsaw and a device which was made safe by the bomb squad.
Speaking yesterday, an IOPC spokesman said: “We attended the police post incident procedures where the officers involved in the incident provided their initial accounts.
“Our investigators have been at the property in Ashford Road throughout the night and all day gathering key evidence.
“The man was given first aid at the scene and taken to the hospital with wounds to his arm and abdomen.
“His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening but may be life-changing.”
IOPC director Amanda Rowe added: “Police shootings are fortunately rare; however, given a man has been injured after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decisions taken by the police.
“Based on analysis of evidence gathered to date, no police officer is under investigation for either misconduct or criminality – they are being treated as witnesses.
“We appreciate that the community will want answers quickly, and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts and piece together what occurred.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
The A20 Ashford Road, near Leeds Castle, was shut off at around 8.45pm on Monday while forensics were seen in the nearby Park Gate Inn pub’s car park throughout Tuesday.
Harrietsham Parish Council chairman Eddie Powell said: “We heard police cars racing along last night and thought it must be an accident, as that happens quite a lot.
“But then in the early hours, we heard the bomb squad had been called to a property near the pub.
“This is completely out of character for around here. It is the sort of thing you would expect to happen in Oxford Street or Pall Mall.”
The road remained closed between Chegworth Road and Penfold Hill yesterday but has now reopened.
