Hackney police shooting: Young man fighting for his life after being shot at 13 times by armed police in east London raid

The police watchdog has launched an investigation after a young man was shot at 13 times by armed officers, leaving him fighting for his life.

The 21-year-old was shot at by six armed officers after police were called reports of an armed robbery in Hackney in the early hours of Tuesday.

He was rushed to the Royal London Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

The police watchdog, investigating the incident, said that a total of 13 shots were fired and a non-police issue firearm was recovered at the scene.

Local and armed officers attended an address in Mandeville Street, Clapton, after receiving reports of an armed robbery of a vehicle at 10.50pm.

"A police firearm was discharged and a man was injured,” a Metropolitan Police statement said.

“He has been taken by the London Ambulance Service to an east London hospital. No reports of any other persons injured.

“The Directorate of Professional Standards have been informed and the incident referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who have launched an independent investigation.”

Jonathan Green, regional director of the independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), said they would be scouring witness reports and forensic evidence to establish what happened.

The IOPC will also be looking at “a large amount of body worn footage” from police cameras in order to “establish the sequence of events which culminated in this serious incident”, he said.

"We have been able to verify that six officers discharged their weapons a total of 13 times during the incident and can confirm that a non-police issue firearm was recovered from the scene.

"We will be conducting a robust independent investigation to find out the circumstances leading up to the firing of the weapons and the actions of officers immediately afterwards."

He added: "A young man is in hospital in a critical condition and my thoughts go to all those affected by this incident.”

The IOPC said they were contacted by the Met Police at 3.20am on Tuesday morning and that they had also met with the 21-year-old's parents to explain their role.