Marcus Meade died at an address in Redditch, Worcestershire, after police shot him on Christmas Eve, an incident for which West Mercia Police referred itself to the watchdog
The grief-stricken family of a dad shot dead by armed police in his own home following a stand-off on Christmas Eve have today begged for answers.
Anthony Meade and Deborah Clarke are desperate for justice for their son Marcus Meade, 39, who died at the property in Redditch, Worcestershire. Officers were called to reports of the man experiencing mental health challenges but, after police negiotators spent five hours in the stand-off, Marcus was Tasered and shot. He was alone in his home at the time, police have confirmed.
Deborah said: “I want to know what happened to my son, I want to know why they thought it was ok to do what they did to my son. I want answers and I want justice for my son.”
Deborah and Anthony say they discovered their son had died after reading reports on social media and hearing the awful news on the grapevine. Now, they want answers from West Mercia Police, who reported the incident to the watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Anthony said: “Christmas is meant to be a time for loving, sharing and caring and to hear of 13 tactical explosions, a taser and a bullet being delivered into my son’s chest, makes it difficult for us as a family to celebrate Christmas ever again. I need to know why my baby boy is dead.”
Marcus, who leaves behind two children, was hailed a hero after he had apprehended a teenage girl’s killer in Birmingham city centre. The family man, along with other have-a-go heroes, was recognised for his bravery with an award in 2003 after he swooped to snag Inderjit Kainth. Kainth had stabbed Rosie Ross, 16, in a random attack.
Police body-worn video footage has been reviewed by IOPC, who have also carried out local enquiries in Redditch following Mr Meade’s death. It is understood police had been called by ambulance staff who had encountered the dad struggling with his mental health.
The man’s aunt Selina Freckleton said: “My nephew Marcus was sadly and unjustifiably taken away from all of us. We must get justice for Marcus.” His uncle Mark added: “We have been left now suffering forever.”
Family members had to identify Marcus, originally from Birmingham, at a mortuary after he had died at his home. His community in the Winyates West area of Redditch, in addition to the man’s heartbroken relatives, have also demanded West Mercia Police pursue “a timely, open and transparent investigation”.
But the force says it has cooperated with the probe since it referred itself to the watchdog on December 24. It added the force was “following all appropriate procedures”. Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills said at the time: “We do not underestimate the shock and concern this may cause the local community and I want to reassure residents that we are following all appropriate procedures, this included making an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as is mandatory and right. We will support their investigation, which will include providing all information we hold, including body-worn camera footage.”
IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr Meade’s family, and everyone affected by his death. We are working hard to piece together all the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident and we want to reassure the community that our investigation, which is still in its early stages, will be thorough and guided by the evidence we find.
“We are meeting with Mr Meade’s family to again offer our sincere condolences and to outline how our investigation will progress. We will provide them with regular updates as our enquiries continue.
“We have established that while police used distraction techniques causing several bangs and flashes on entering the property, there was one shot fired by an armed officer. We will continue to carefully review the considerable volume of police body-worn footage we have collated.
“Our investigation will examine the police strategy and tactics throughout the overall incident and officers’ actions and decision-making including any risk assessments of the situation, and whether relevant policies and procedures were followed.”
