Overview

• A six-week inquest jury ruled in May that Officer K’s shot, believing he saw a gun, lawfully killed unarmed Sean Fitzgerald during a January 2019 raid in Coventry.
• The coroner’s prevention of future deaths report warns that training materials lack clear decision-making criteria for when officers should identify themselves as armed police.
• Sir John Saunders also highlighted that guidance on positioning officers close to property entrances fails to address how proximity affects threat perception and use of force.
• Jurors found that officers breached containment protocols by breaking down front and rear doors without announcing “armed police” at critical moments.
• West Midlands Police and the College of Policing now face a statutory duty to respond to the report’s recommendations and enhance armed policing procedures.