How events unfolded

6 May 2008
Barrister Mark Saunders, 32, is shot dead by police marksmen during a five-hour stand-off with police at his £2.2 million Chelsea home.

Investigators said he was armed with a shotgun and exchanged fire with members of Scotland Yard's elite CO19 specialist firearms unit three times.

He also hit a house opposite with bullets as he roamed around his flat which was part of a three-storey Georgian terrace.

Mr Saunders' wife Elizabeth arrived at Markham Square during the siege.

Shop workers and customers in nearby Kings Road were forced to lock themselves in as armed police filled the streets.

The Independent Police Complaints Committee (IPCC) launches an investigation into the shooting.

7 May 2008
Further details of the siege emerge from neighbours and eyewitnesses who were caught up in the drama.

Neighbour Jane Winkworth said he wrote a message to his wife on a white cardboard box and threw it from a window.

Colleagues at QEB Chambers, where Mr Saunders worked as a divorce barrister, described the incident as a "personal tragedy".

Military sources confirm Saunders was a member of the Territorial Army's Honourable Artillery Company for three years until 2002.

Investigators confirm a legally registered shotgun has been recovered by police. There are reports Mr Saunders had a drink problem and was depressed.

His father Rodney Saunders said the shoot-out was an "absolute mystery" and described his son and his wife as an "ideal couple".

8 May 2008
Mr Saunders had a "strong union" with his wife and the couple were "deeply committed to each other", a statement released on his widow's behalf said.

A post mortem examination confirms the 32-year-old divorce lawyer, who it is believed acted for Chris Tarrant, died from multiple bullet wounds.

His father questions why officers shot his Oxford graduate son, whom he claimed was not a lethal threat, and demanded answers.

9 May 2008
Mr Saunders' parents, Rodney and Rosemary, said he was known for his "warmth, generosity and sheer energy for life".

An inquest is told Mr Saunders was hit at least five times by police marksmen during the shoot-out.

He was shot in the head, the heart and the liver and the bullets were fired from several weapons, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

Coroner's officer Lynda Morris told the hearing Mr Saunders did not suffer any injuries from his own shotgun.

She was reading from a preliminary report prepared by pathologist Dr Nathaniel Carey.

IPCC investigating officer Paul Craig said a fuller report may take up to six months to prepare.

8 July 2008
Nine police firearms officers who shot at Mr Saunders return to work after undergoing checks that they are fit for duty.

The decision, undertaken after consultation with the IPCC, suggests the men will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

His mother reacted angrily to the news and branded it "outrageous".

10 September 2008
The family of Mr Saunders go to the High Court for a judicial review in a bid to have the IPCC inquiry into his death declared unlawful.

They argue the practice of allowing firearms officers to confer about their accounts gives rise to the risk of collusion.

Their case echoes other concerns raised about the procedure in the wake of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The IPCC first raised objections in 2006 after the shooting of Harry Stanley when officers mistook a table leg he was carrying for a shotgun.

Tim Owen QC, representing sister Charlotte Saunders, said it may not be compatible with human rights laws.

The IPCC practice of allowing officers to confer was agreed with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and is contained in the ACPO Manual of Guidance on the Police Use of Firearms.

ACPO, the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and the Police Federation have all joined the proceedings, which last three days.

12 September 2008
Mr Saunders' family launch a bitter attack on the IPCC for "viciously and falsely" accusing them of leaking material from a video of the shooting.

Footage from the siege was shown to the family, one of whom then publicly described how the final fatal shots were fired over 20 minutes after Mr Saunders' last shot.

Outside court, Ms Saunders said: "I really hope that they will turn their attention away from undermining the family and instead focus on undertaking a robust investigation."

10 October 2008
Mr Justice Underhill dismisses the claim but expresses concern about the practice of allowing police officers to confer.

He said this might well be unlawful and there was a danger that the opportunity for collusion could become institutionalised.

24 October 2008
The Association of Chief Police Officers issues revised guidelines on conferring.

Senior officers said firearms officers should not confer with others before writing up their accounts of shootings,

But Acpo stops short of banning the controversial practice, saying officers should instead document any discussions that do take place.

14 January 2009Mr Saunders' family announce they will not take their case to the Court of Appeal.

29 May 2009
The IPCC asks prosecutors to consider whether to bring charges against the officers as a file is passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).