Oxford shooting: armed stand-off ends after shootout between police and gunman

An armed siege sparked by reports of a man with a gun in Oxford has ended "peacefully" after around 14 hours.

Thames Valley Police said shots were fired from a residential property in Paradise Square in the city centre - just yards from Oxford castle - with officers returning fire.

Nearby streets were cordoned off by officers who were called to the scene at around 1.15pm. Negotiations with the man took place through Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning.

At around 6.30am on Tuesday, the force said the incident has been resolved and that road closures in the area had been lifted. One person was treated for non-life threatening injuries, paramedics said.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "Shortly before 3am today a 24-year-old man from Oxford was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He is currently in police custody."

Witness earlier described hearing the gunshots ringing out during the afternoon. There were reports the suspect was shooting from a balcony.

Janet Borgerson was in the nearby Hotel Malmaison when she heard "explosive cracks" she thought were holiday festivities before another series of "loud bangs".

"Again, I thought the second round were firecrackers. I noticed hotel bar staff ushering people inside," she said.

Ms Borgerson, who is visiting the city from America, said guests were later told they were "perfectly safe" and allowed to leave the hotel by an armed officer who seemed to indicate he was expecting a siege.

A nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said he first heard two loud bangs early in the morning, but thought it was just Bank Holiday fireworks.

Later that day, he said he witnessed the start of the altercation between an armed man and the police, during which he heard around 20 shots exchanged.

He said: "I could hear a female negotiator and an armed response man trying to get him to put his hands up, let go of the gun, keep his hands on show and things like that."

The resident said he heard a man repeating that he needed medical treatment, before getting "really angry, shouting, roaring at them (the police)".

He said the whole street had been evacuated and families were getting anxious about where they would be able to spend the night as darkness fell.

Thames Valley Police thanked residents for their "understanding".

The incident is not being treated as terrorism.