Officer shot man six times ‘within less than a second’

AN ARMED police officer shot a suspect six times within a second of pulling up beside the car he was in, an inquiry has heard.

Azelle Rodney, 24, was killed “instantly” when Metropolitan Police officers carried out a “hard stop” on a VW Golf in Edgware, north London, on 30 April, 2005.

Police thought the group in the car – Mr Rodney and two other men, Wesley Lovell and Frank Graham – were on their way to commit an armed robbery linked to the drugs trade.

Ashley Underwood, QC told the inquiry into Mr Rodney’s death that the officer who shot him, known only as E7, was in the front passenger seat of an unmarked police car that stopped level with the driver’s side back window of the Golf.

Mr Underwood said: “Within less than a second of the car containing the officer coming to a halt, he opened fire with a carbine. He [Mr Rodney] was killed more or less instantly.”

An inquiry is being held into Mr Rodney’s death instead of an inquest, because of sensitive areas of evidence that would have to remain secret from a coroner.

It is the first time that this kind of inquiry has been held to look into a police shooting.

The inquiry heard that Mr Rodney was wanted over an allegation of grievous bodily harm when he was accused of hitting and stabbing someone.

The hearing was adjourned until today.