Police Officer served with gross misconduct notice after fatal Coventry shooting
Sean Fitzgerald died after being shot in January 2019.
Last updated 22nd Apr 2021
A West Midlands Police officer has been served with a gross misconduct notice as part of an investigation into a fatal shooting in Coventry.
31 year-old Sean Fitzgerald died after receiving a single gunshot wound to the chest as he exited a property in Burnaby Road at around 6.20pm on Friday 4 January 2019.
Mr Fitzgerald was unarmed at the time he was shot.
The IOPC launched an independent investigation following a mandatory referral from the force.
They've concluded there is no indication that a criminal offence may have been committed by the officer.
As part of this investigation, the officer who fired the fatal shot was last week served with a gross misconduct notice in respect of their use of force on Mr Fitzgerald during the police operation.
Serving a notice advises the officer their actions are under investigation. It does not indicate that misconduct has been proven.
IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said:
“This was a tragic incident that led to a man losing his life and our thoughts are with the family of Mr Fitzgerald and all of those affected by his death.
“It is important in cases like this for the circumstances to be examined thoroughly and independently in order to understand fully what happened on that day.
“This has been a particularly complex investigation looking at not only the shooting itself but the intelligence, assessments, planning and decisions which took place prior to the pre-planned police operation.
“Mr Fitzgerald’s family and the force have been updated on our progress so far.
Once our work, which is at an advanced stage, has concluded, along with the inquest and any disciplinary proceedings, we will be in a position to release the findings of our investigation.”
Liam Fitzgerald, Sean’s brother, responded saying:
“Whilst we are pleased that the officer who shot Sean has now at least been served with a gross misconduct notice, we are shocked that the IOPC considers that the officer should not be served with a notice that his actions are subject to a criminal investigation.
"We have only been given limited information to date, but that information indicates that the officer should be under criminal investigation in close co-ordination with the CPS, with a charging decision being made without delay.
"We also call upon West Midlands Police to reconsider the status of this officer. Sean was totally unarmed when he died as a result of this officer's actions and we don't believe he should be able to continue carrying a firearm when potential gross misconduct has been identified.
Sean is greatly missed by all his family and friends and we continue to seek answers and justice for him.
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