An investigation has been launched after armed police opened fire on a man following a stabbing.
Bedfordshire Police were called to a flat in Luton to reports that a woman was being threatened with a knife.
Neighbours told the Daily Mail a man was seen ‘holding a blade to the woman’s throat’ during a ‘volatile’ row just before 1pm on Tuesday.
Officers arrived at the address in Cardigan Street and one fired four shots, while another fired a baton round, according to the police watchdog.
This appears to have struck the man in the arm and leg, and he was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
The woman was also taken to hospital with stab wounds. Her condition is not understood to be life-threatening.
The IOPC announced yesterday that it had launched an investigation into the incident.
Frances King-Barton, 65, who lives directly opposite the flat, said: ‘I heard very loud gunshots and the guy who had been hit was taken away on a stretcher.
‘There was a poor police officer who came out – he looked like he was in shock. They had just been shouting “man down”.’
One neighbour said: ‘There were at least four people all shouting, it was very noisy, with one man screaming “help me, help me”.’
An investigation has been launched after armed police opened fire on a man following a stabbing on Cardigan Street (pictured) in Luton
Another, who did not want to be named, added that the screams were so panicked they sounded ‘almost like a child’.
‘They were saying “let me in, let me in”,’ she recalled. ‘That’s when myself and the lady next door decided to call the police.
‘It was frightening, my husband heard the shots and you could see it was a very volatile situation. I’ve never seen anything like it in my 32 years living here.’
Her property overlooks the flat where the stabbing took place, and she noted that mountains of furniture had been stacked outside the front door on Saturday.
‘It suddenly appeared, so I wondered if there had been a domestic,’ she added.
Meanwhile, a father who lives a few doors down said: ‘It’s a dodgy area, but it hadn’t been so bad on this particular street.
‘I saw lots of police cars and ambulances and the road was shut off for a long time.
‘It doesn’t feel safe here with my children. I work night shifts in a warehouse and I always call my wife because she doesn’t like being home alone.’
IOPC director of engagement Emily Barry, said: ‘The use of firearms by police officers is rare, but where potentially lethal force has been used, it is important that we carry out an independent investigation into the circumstances.
‘We can confirm at this stage that all the officers involved are being treated as witnesses because there is no indication they may have breached police professional standards or committed a criminal offence.
‘We are in the initial phase of our investigation, which is looking at the actions and decisions of officers, including the discharge of police firearms and whether any use of force was reasonable, necessary and proportionate.’
