Police officer who shot sean fitzgerald could face misconduct proceedings

A police officer who shot Coventry man Sean Fitzgerald may now face gross misconduct proceedings. It comes after an inquest jury concluded the 31-year-old was lawfully killed. Mr Fitzgerald

died from a single gunshot wound to the chest after leaving a property in Coventry at about 6.20pm on January 4 2019. It was heard at an inquest at Coventry Coroner’s Court that West

Midlands Police officers were investigating the activities of a suspected organised crime gang in Burnaby Road. The jury in the six-week-long inquest was asked to consider whether Mr

Fitzgerald had been lawfully or unlawfully killed by the officer who fired the fatal shot, who was given anonymity and referred to only as officer K. Officer K told the inquest he had been

standing in the back garden of the property when he saw a curtain move and a man holding a black object that he thought was a gun, the BBC reported. READ MORE:RESIDENTS SAY THEY'RE

'GETTING CHOKED' BY 544-ROOM STUDENT DEVELOPMENT READ MORE: COVENTRY PUB CLOSED FOR YEARS SET TO REOPEN THIS WEEK The jury yesterday (May 21) concluded that Mr Fitzgerald was

lawfully killed. Now the officer may face a misconduct hearing. But the officer could now face a misconduct hearing. Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) director Derrick Campbell

said West Midlands Police had been directed to hold misconduct proceedings, but it was agreed they would not happen until the inquest had finished. Mr Fitzgerald’s family, who were

represented by the Inquest Lawyers’ Group, had expressed disappointment at the length of time it took the IOPC to conclude their own investigation into the actions of West Midlands Police.

Mr Campbell said their investigation was “complex” and took “far longer than expected”. In a statement, he said: "Our investigation, which concluded in December 2023, examined not only

the shooting itself, but the wider circumstances, including the intelligence and decision making in the planning of the operation. “Having considered all the evidence, a range of expert

opinion and applying the legal thresholds which govern our work, we concluded there was sufficient evidence to indicate that the officer who fired the fatal shot may have breached the police

professional standards regarding his use of force and therefore had a case to answer for gross misconduct. “West Midlands Police were directed to hold a misconduct hearing, although it was

agreed that should not be progressed until after the conclusion of the inquest proceedings. “We determined the evidence did not meet the threshold for a referral to the Crown Prosecution

Service to consider whether the same officer should face a criminal charge in relation to the shooting. “This was a complex investigation and we recognise our inquiries took far longer than

expected. “We understand the impact this has had on everyone concerned and will carefully review, as soon as possible, whether any of the additional evidence heard at the inquest impacts on

our previous decision making.”