Man shot dead by Norfolk Police in Thetford after two-car crash

A man believed to be carrying a handgun has been shot and killed by police following a two-vehicle collision in Thetford, Norfolk Police said.

The force was called to London Road, Thetford, at about 20:35 GMT on Sunday when a man, believed to be the driver of one of the vehicles, left the scene holding what was described as a handgun.

Armed response officers attended and the suspect was subsequently shot by police from “a short distance away”.

The force said that despite the efforts of emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following the incident, the A11 remained closed in both directions.

Norfolk Police said it had made a “standard procedure” referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the man’s death.

The force’s Assistant Chief Constable David Buckley said: “We understand this incident will cause concern in the community.

“Our highly trained armed officers deploy to hundreds of firearms related calls each year, but incidents where police discharge firearms are thankfully incredibly rare. A full and independent investigation is already underway.

“We are of course cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation and will be handing over all body-worn footage and 999 calls to ensure transparency.

“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”