Police officer who killed innocent Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell to speak for first time in new documentary
The armed police officer who shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes in a case of mistaken identity is set to speak publicly for the first time about the incident.
Brazilian national Mr de Menezes was just 27 when the officer fatally pulled the trigger in 2005, mistaking him for a terror suspect in the wake of the 7/7 bombings.
He was shot seven times in the head at Stockwell Tube station.
Now, the unnamed Met Police officer will share his account in the documentary Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube, airing on Channel 4 over two nights from November 10.
“One of the officers who pulled the trigger will now tell his side of the story,” says a voiceover in a trailer for the episode.
Mr de Menzes was not wanted in connection to 7/7 but rather the lesser-known attempted bombing on July 21, 2005.
Four devices had exploded on London’s transport network, although nobody was injured, and the Met had identified four suspects.
After staking out the south London apartment block where one of the suspects lived, officers saw Mr de Menezes leave and believed he matched the description.
They followed him to Stockwell station, where they shot him seven times in the head and once in the shoulder.
Mr de Menezes had travelled to the UK in 2002 for work opportunities and practised as an electrician.
He was on his way to fit a fire alarm when he was shot.
No officer was ever prosecuted over the shooting, although the Met was found guilty of endangering the public and fined £175,000.
In addition, the force paid £385,000 in costs and undisclosed damages to the de Menezes family.
The officer contributing to the documentary has not been named.