Deadly British fugitive siege under investigation

British police were under investigation over the death of fugitive Raoul Moat after their armed stand-off ended with officers firing stun guns at him and the wanted man shooting himself dead.

London: British police were under
investigation on Sunday over the death of fugitive Raoul Moat
after their armed stand-off ended with officers firing stun
guns at him and the wanted man shooting himself dead.

One of Britain`s biggest ever manhunts ended on
Saturday when Moat killed himself after a six-hour siege --
though it is unclear whether he pulled the trigger before or
after being fired at with the Taser electric shock device.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed
they were looking into Moat`s death.

"A full investigation will now be carried out and we
will publish our findings in due course," said IPCC
Commissioner Nicholas Long.

The IPCC was already probing why police failed to heed
warnings from prison authorities that Moat would pose a
potential threat to his former partner when he was released
after serving an 18-week sentence for assault.

The use of Tasers has always been controversial in
Britain.

The stun guns fire two electric barbs and deliver a
disabling 50,000-volt shock, which can penetrate clothing up
to two inches thick. It leaves targets incapacitated and
easier to arrest.

After seven days on the run during which he apparently
shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend, killed her new partner and
injured a policeman, armed police surrounded Moat in the
village of Rothbury in northeast England.

Moat, 37, had been spotted on Friday walking along a
river on the edge of the picturesque village, which has been
the focus of the massive search.

Newspapers speculated today that he had been hiding in
a drainage tunnel right by where he was snared.

Armed officers cornered the former nightclub bouncer
and father of three children in a field amid scenes of panic
as local residents were told to stay inside their homes and
lock their doors.

PTI

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