Gun crime police shoot man dead

Officers would not say if the 52-year-old black man was brandishing the gun but a loaded weapon has been recovered.

Residents in Hanger Green, Ealing, west London, described a "war-like" scene at around 10.30pm on Tuesday.

The shooting happened during an "intelligence-led" Operation Trident investigation which looks at gun crime among black communities, Scotland Yard said.

Three officers fired a "number of shots", according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who have launched an inquiry.

Forensic tests are being carried out on the recovered weapon, along with three police firearms.

IPCC Commissioner Deborah Glass said: "Our investigators have been at the scene all night. From the start, they have been directing the inquiry. The forensic examination of the scene has begun and house-to-house inquiries are under way."

The victim was shot outside Paolo's restaurant, near Park Royal Underground station.

Alarmed by the sound of the shooting, resident Andrew Wood looked out to see a naked man on the ground being tended to by paramedics. His clothes may have been removed as paramedics tried to save his life, the IPCC said.

A post mortem examination and formal identification are expected, although members of the dead man's family have been informed.