Family of Coventry man killed by police still calling for answers 5 years on
31-year-old Sean Fitzgerald was shot dead by firearms officers at his home on Burnaby Road five years ago yesterday (4 January).
The family of a Coventry man, shot in the chest by police five years ago, are continuing to call for answers over his death.
A peaceful protest took place at the Pilot Pub and Restaurant last night (4 January) to mark exactly half a decade since Sean Fitzgerald was killed in his home on Burnaby Road.
The 31-year-old, who was unarmed, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest after leaving the property at about 6.20pm on 4 January 2019.
Sharlene Whetstone, Mr Fitzgerald’s partner who organised the event, said without an inquest the family's been left in the dark.
She said: "It’s been half a decade since Sean was killed. Still to this day we haven’t had any answers to why. That’s why we’re holding a protest, all we want to know is why it happened. Five years is a long time to not even have a basic inquest into his death.
"Everyone feels the same, everyone feels hurt by it. We’re unable to grieve because we haven’t had the answers. How are you meant to move forward or process what happened just from being told he’s gone? That’s all we’ve been told."
Sharlene added: "We’re just hoping to get his story out there, hopefully pushing it so we get answers sooner."
The case has been examined by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following a mandatory referral from the West Midlands Police (WMP) force.
A gross misconduct notice was issued to the officer in April 2021 in respect of their use of force on Mr Fitzgerald during the police operation.
In March 2022, the IOPC announced that the officer was being investigated for potential homicide offences over the incident.
On the Facebook page, Justice For Sean Fitzgerald, a statement read: "It is absolutely essential the public hear of his story and of how the justice system are failing to provide even a basic inquest into his death, and have still yet failed to bring the guilty to court to be held accountable and punished for the murder they committed by unlawfully killing Sean five years ago."
A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: "We can confirm that the final report from our investigation has been shared with West Midlands Police (WMP) along with our opinions on whether any officer has a case to answer for misconduct, gross misconduct or no case to answer. As required by law, we must consider the views of WMP once we receive them before we make our final decisions and then notify the parties involved, including Sean Fitzgerald’s family.
"Last October (2023), following careful consideration of the evidence, we decided not to refer a file to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether a WMP officer should face a criminal charge. Sean Fitzgerald’s family and other parties, including the coroner, were updated at the time."
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