Barrister shot by armed police was killed lawfully

An alcoholic barrister who fired a shotgun from the window of his home was lawfully killed by armed police, an inquest jury has ruled.

Mark Saunders, 32, died when Scotland Yard marksmen fired a volley of shots during a drunken stand-off at his home in Markham Square, Chelsea, on May 6, 2008.

A jury at Westminster Coroner's Court ruled their lethal actions were lawful, proportionate and reasonable at the conclusion of a two-and-half-week inquest. They found that fatal shots to the head, heart and liver were "likely" to be caused by police shots that were lawfully fired in "reasonable self-defence".

The jury said there was a "lack of clarity" over who was responsible for frontline firearms officers. But it concluded that this did not contribute to the deadly outcome.

The court heard how the depressed alcoholic sparked the stand-off by firing his 12-bore shotgun through his kitchen window after a solitary drinking binge. Police surrounded his £2.2 million home after one blast smashed into a child's bedroom in an adjacent property.

One of the first officers on the scene returned fire and further shots were fired when Mr Saunders fired again to "blow off steam". Negotiators begged him to put down the weapon as they feared he would take his own life or accidentally discharge the gun.

He was shot dead as he hung out of a third-storey kitchen window when he levelled the shotgun at marksmen positioned on neighbouring properties.