Gunman who fired rifle 20 times in 'serious' condition after being shot by police

 
Shots fired: the gunman was taken down by police after firing his rifle 20 times from Franklin House tower block in Hendon (Picture: Nigel Howard)
Matt Watts16 February 2015
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Terrified neighbours today spoke of the moment police marksmen took down a gunman who had been firing a rifle for several hours from the balcony of a tower block.

The 48-year-old man had been shooting from the first floor of 13 storey council block Franklin House in Tyrrel Way, Hendon, north London, leaving residents in surrounding blocks fearing for their lives.

He fired the weapon at least 20 times between 5pm and 8pm on Saturday night before police firearms officers entered his flat and shot him.

He was today said to be in a “serious but not life-threatening” condition in hospital. A police officer sustained minor injuries in the operation.

Incident: Franklin House, Hendon (Picture: Nigel Howard)

One resident who lives in the West Hendon Estate in a block next to Franklin House described how she had seen “bright orange flashes” coming from the first floor balcony before police arrived and the gunman shouted at her “get inside or you will get some of this.”

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “I saw half the barrel of the rifle sticking out from the balcony. There were orange flashes and huge bangs as he fired. It was terrifying.”

Two friends, aged 21 and 22, watched the moment firearms officers swooped on the flat from their balcony overlooking the block.

One of the men said: “You could tell when they went in. The windows of the flat lit up like a firework display.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police has referred the police shooting of a man in West Hendon last night to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who have now begun an independent investigation.”

The IPCC confirmed they were investigating the shooting.

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