Crossbow man 'fired shot at police'

Armed officers were called to the rear of a terraced house in Cheapside, Shildon, County Durham, after bolts were randomly fired from a back window.

Some of them hit neighbouring houses and more than 20 yellow plastic evidence markers were visible in the street outside.

The man was named locally as Keith Richards, a 47-year-old father of two who ran his own taxi company.

His former next-door neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Richards had his home repossessed by the bank six weeks ago.

The man may have had a grudge with police after a recent arrest for drink-driving, another neighbour said.

Witness Richard Easton, 45, of Foundry Street, which has been cordoned off, heard the sound of a window cracking before armed police arrived. He believed it was a bolt from the crossbow which hit a neighbour's window.

He said: "I saw him fire it a couple of times. The police were trying to calm him down. They were shouting to him 'put the weapon down'."

The witness said he was told to go back in his house when armed officers arrived and he later heard a shot being fired. He believed officers did all they could to avoid the situation escalating. "They warned him plenty of times. They kept telling him to put the weapon down and come out."

Durham Police has referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which investigates all such cases.