Yassar Yaqub inquest: Fatal shooting by police on M62 lawful, jury finds

The killing of a man of who was shot by a police officer on the M62 was lawful, an inquest jury has found.

They said the officer, known only as V39, "honestly believed that a firearm was being aimed at him" and he "used reasonable force" discharging his firearm.

Yassar Yaqub, 28, was the front seat passenger in one of two cars travelling in convoy when he was fatally shot on 2 January 2017.

The officer told the inquest at Leeds Crown Court he "had no alternative" but to shoot Mr Yaqub as he feared for his life.

Four unmarked police vehicles surrounded the Audi A4 at junction 24 near Huddersfield before the shooting.

Mr Yaqub and his associates were being followed as part of an operation targeting suspected criminal activity.

He was described by police intelligence as a "highly active criminal," with an operation set up in 2016 in response to alleged threats he and another man had been making.

The officer said the driver showed his hands when asked but Mr Yaqub did not. Instead, he

said, he leaned forward and picked up a gun. The officer fired three shots.

He told the jury: "I discharged my firearm fearing for my life as well as for my colleagues who I knew would be approaching the vehicle. I had no alternative because I knew I would have been shot."

Two of the bullets hit Mr Yaqub in the chest and caused "catastrophic blood loss".

A loaded pistol was found in the footwell under the Audi front passenger seat, along with a silencer and more ammunition in the glovebox.

West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable, John Robins, extended his sympathies to Mr Yaqub's family, but said what unfolded was necessary to keep the public safe.

He said, "I hope that people will now see that the tragic loss of  life, unfortunate as it was, was necessary to keep the public safe in what was a rapidly unfolding and dangerous situation."

"The inquest has provided a clear and transparent understanding of what happened. Our sole intention was to safely detain Mr Yaqub and to remove illegally held firearms from our streets."

My Yaqub's father, Mohammed Yaqub Snr, said he now has the answers he needs, after a five year long campaign to find out what happened to his son.

He said: "It's been very difficult, every day has been like a nightmare, but it's something as a father I owed to my son. The loss of a child is still there, as fresh as in 2017."