Police firearms officer suspended over man's death

A police firearms officer has been suspended after a man was shot dead during an alleged attempt to spring two convicts from a prison van.

Jermaine Baker, 28, from Tottenham in north London, died from a single gunshot wound during the police operation near Wood Green Crown Court on Friday.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it has launched a criminal homicide investigation into the death.

This could see the police face murder or manslaughter charges.

The Metropolitan Police said earlier this week that it intended to suspend the officer, and today announced that it has.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Terry, from Specialist Crime and Operations, is the senior officer leading following the fatal shooting.

He said: "It is vital that the independent investigation by the IPCC is carried out as quickly as possible to establish the facts of what took place that Friday morning.

"Speculation and rumour will only serve to undermine that investigation and community confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service.

"All of the officers involved in Friday's operation continue to receive our fullest possible support and we will continue to assist the IPCC in anyway possible."