Police name man fatally shot by firearms officers near Portishead

A 29-year-old man who was fatally shot by police firearms officers on Wednesday near Portishead has been named as Spencer Ashworth.

Mr Ashworth, whose last known address was in Portishead, was shot by Avon and Somerset Police firearms officers on the A369 Portbury Hundred shortly after 9.30am on Wednesday morning.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is independently investigating the circumstances of Mr Ashworth’s death.

The IPCC says initial information indicates officers were responding to a report of a man travelling on the M5 with a handgun and that he had threatened another motorist.

IPCC investigators attended the scene and the post incident procedure, where police officers provided their initial accounts of the incident. It says evidence indicates that a number of shots were fired by four officers.

What appears to be a non-police issue firearm found at the scene is currently being tested.

IPCC investigators are examining body worn video footage from a number of the officers.

The officers involved are being treated as witnesses; this will be kept under review as the investigation continues.

The IPCC also says it will not investigat the actions of West Mercia or Gloucestershire Police.

The IPCC received referrals from both forces in relation to how they dealt with information received from a member of the public before the incident near Portishead.