Man shot dead by armed officers near Bristol 'pointed gun at motorist'

Police had received a report of a man pointing a gun at a motorist on the M5 about an hour before a driver was shot by officers.

West Mercia Police said they were contacted at around 8.30am on Wednesday about the incident involving an alleged gunman near junction eight of the motorway.

Approximately one hour later, a man died after officers from Avon and Somerset Police opened fire on the A369 in Portishead near Bristol.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that we received a call at 8.30am yesterday of a report of a man in a vehicle, pointing a gun at another motorist and that was near junction eight of the M5.

"That was passed on to the central motorway police group. We have informed the Independent Police Complaints Commission about this call."

According to Avon and Somerset Police, "concerned" people travelling on the M5 had got in touch to report seeing a man in a car with a handgun.

The vehicle left the motorway at junction 19 and officers stopped the car on the A369, known as the Portbury Hundred.

Shots were fired in an "incident involving police firearms" and a man died.

A spokeswoman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission said: "What appears to be a non-police issue firearm was found at the scene and will also be subject to examination."

Images of the scene showed what appeared to be a handgun on the roof of the red Suzuki Swift, with bullet holes in the back window.

Eyewitness David Ellison had said he saw police "back off from a car and then they surrounded it".

"They maybe shot with handguns five, six, maybe 10 times," he told BBC Radio Bristol. "Then they dragged a man from the car to resuscitate him."

A post-mortem examination of the man's body was due to take place on Thursday.