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LONDON: A British police officer was shot dead by a man who was being held in a custody center in South London in the early hours of Friday (September 25).
Police said the incident occurred while a man was being held at the Croydon Custody Center around 2.15 a.m. The anonymous officer was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital where he died.
A 23-year-old man was arrested at the scene of the shooting and taken to hospital, having also suffered a gunshot wound. He is in critical condition in the hospital.
Officers did not open fire and the BBC said the man was believed to have pointed the gun at himself. A murder investigation is underway, police added.
“My condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the police officer who was killed in Croydon last night,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“We owe a huge debt to those who risk their own lives to keep us safe.”
London Police Chief Cressida Dick said it was a “truly shocking incident in which one of our colleagues lost his life in the most tragic circumstances.”
“We are in the early stages of the investigation and are still working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and will provide further updates when we have them.”
Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was shocked and saddened by the murder.
“This is a sad day for our country and another terrible reminder of how our police officers put themselves in danger every day to keep us safe,” Patel said.
Shooting at officers is very rare in Britain, where the vast majority of the police are routinely unarmed. A 2017 survey found that just over a third wanted to carry guns routinely, but 43 percent did not.
The last officers to be shot to death while on duty were unarmed police officers Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, who were shot and killed by a fugitive in 2012 after responding to a false call about a robbery in the city of Manchester, in the north of England. .
