Police were right to shoot a man dead in Milton Keynes, says watchdog body

An investigation into a fatal police shooting in MK found that officers acted appropriately and the use of lethal force was necessary given the circumstances.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct examined the death of 24-year-old footballer Kelvin Igweani, who was shot twice by officers in a flat at Denmead, Two Mile Ash after barricading himself in a room with a small child.

On 26 June 2021, at around 9.40am, armed officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at the property.

They found the body of a man, hero neighbour Richard Woodcock, who had rushed to help after hearing screams from the flat.

The 38-year-old council worker was battered to death by Mr Igweani with a 4kg( 8.8lb) kettlebell.

When police arrived, they were confronted by the killer. A Taser was discharged, but was ineffective,” states the IOPC report.

"Mr Igweani then moved to another room with a young child and barricaded himself inside,” it adds.

“Because of noises coming from the room the officers had reason to believe that he was harming the child. They forced entry and the door fell backwards into the room causing a large wardrobe to fall on top of Mr Igweani and the child.”

Mr Igweani then “moved towards the officers with his arm raised”, says the report.

"One officer fired four shots, with two hitting Mr Igweani. The officer who fired the shots stated they believed he had a knife in his hand.”

“Mr Igweani, 24, was given first aid but was pronounced dead.

The child was taken to hospital with wounds to the left side of the head, a fracture to the left eye socket and swelling, bruising and a fracture to the left side of the skull. The child has since made a full recovery.

The IOPC investigators looked t a large volume of evidence including body worn video, 999 recordings, a blood pattern analysis report, a ballistics report, and forensic evidence.

Their report states: “Blood pattern analysis showed the child was punched by Mr Igweani and struck, possibly with part of a wardrobe which was broken while he held the child hostage.”

The details were shared with HM Coroner and yesterday (Tuesday) a jury returned a conclusion of lawful killing at MK Coroner’s Court.

IOPC regional director, Mel Palmer, said: “The evidence shows the officers perceived there to be an immediate threat to life as they had seen the body of Mr Woodcock when they entered the property and heard the cries of a distressed child in another room.

“The officers, who were presented with a traumatic and distressing situation, acted swiftly to gain entry to the room to prevent further injury to the child. We found the decision to shoot Mr Igweani was necessary, proportionate and reasonable in those circumstances.

“We also examined concerns raised about Mr Igweani’s wellbeing prior to 26 June 2021. Four days earlier, his family contacted West Midlands Police with concerns about his mental health. They were encouraged to seek medical help, which we found was an appropriate response.

“A complaint was also made by the family concerning TVP’s scene management following the incident. We found TVP’s management of the scene was appropriate.”