Man, shot by the police in Coventry, who was lawfully killed, closes the jury

A man who was shot by the police during a drug attack was legally killed, a jury has been completed.

Sean Fitzgerald, 31, was killed on January 4, 2019 in Burnaby Road, Coventry, where the police officers from West Midlands examined the activities of a alleged gang for organized crime.

The officer who had fired the fatal shot – Officer K – told Coventry Coroner's Court that he stood in the garden of the property when he moved a curtain and took a black object.

Mr. Fitzgerald, who was unarmed, died on a single firing wound on his chest after leaving the property at 18:20 GMT.

Six years after his death, an investigation jury was asked, two conclusions of the rightful or illegal murder by Officer K.

The officer and a number of others protected their anonymity during the procedure.

The jury identified three mistakes in the police operation, including the level of secret service and the insufficient prior monitoring of the premises.

Liam Fitzgerald, Sean's brother, held his head in his hands when the jury announced its conclusion.

The events that led to the fatal shootout began in 2017 when the Warwickshire police examined a gang for organized crime, which they believed in the fields of Nuneaton, Bedworth and Coventry.

During the investigation, Officer K Jurors described how he had been in the garden of the 56 Burnaby Road when he held a man who thought what he thought was.

“I thought he would shoot us,” Officer K told the jury. “I fired a shot at the man to stop his actions.

“It seemed to take an eternity, I was aware that it was quick, but at the time it seemed slower. I thought I would be shot.”

It was found that the property in Mr. Fitzgerald's hand was a cell phone.