Police shoot man 'with chainsaw, wearing a gas mask'

A man brandishing a chainsaw while wearing a gas mask and body armour was shot by police who believed he may have had a bomb, investigators have said.

Officers attended a property in Hollingbourne, Kent, at about 19:15 BST on Monday to arrest a man on suspicion of assault.

Police bodycam footage shows a man wielding a chainsaw and holding another item, which officers believed at the time to be an improvised explosive device (IED), according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Kent Police confirmed a firearm was used to shoot the man and said the incident was not related to terrorism.

Armed officers were deployed during the attempted arrest when the man refused to come out of the house, according to the IOPC.

The agency said police fired a baton round at the man before he took cover behind a hedge.

"Officers moved in and a police dog was deployed," a spokesperson said.

"The man ignored orders to put down the chainsaw and a second baton round was discharged and then, seconds later, he moved towards officers and was shot by an officer with a conventional firearm."

The man, aged in his mid-30s, was taken to hospital with injuries to his arm and abdomen.

His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, but life-changing, the IOPC said.

Weapons were found at the address and the bomb squad "made a device safe", the IOPC said.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: "Police shootings are fortunately rare, however, given a man has been injured after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident including the actions and decisions taken by the police.

"Based on analysis of evidence gathered to date, no police officer is under investigation for either misconduct or criminality – they are being treated as witnesses.

"We appreciate that the community will want answers quickly and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts and piece together what occurred.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected."

A Kent Police spokesperson said the force was supporting the IOPC's inquiry.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.