British fugitive kills himself in dramatic armed siege

[Cao Pi]

British fugitive kills himself in dramatic armed siege

The Associated Press

LONDON — A fugitive wanted for murder killed himself after police moved in to arrest him Saturday, ending a weeklong manhunt that had transfixed Britain. Police in northeastern England said Raoul Thomas Moat, 37, was found alongside a riverbank on Friday. Authorities surrounded him and a six-hour standoff ensued.

The fugitive — wanted for wounding his ex-girlfriend, killing her new boyfriend and shooting a police officer — turned a shotgun on himself when police moved in. The incident took place in Rothbury, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the city of Newcastle. The picturesque village and its surrounding countryside had become the focus of a police manhunt and 24-hour news coverage after Moat's car was found in the area.

Hundreds of officers had swarmed into the region, and nationally broadcast news conferences kept the nation apprised of Moat's movements, his campsites and the letters he left behind to his ex-girlfriend. Newspapers published a letter in which Moat "declared war" on the police. In a country with tough gun laws, the prospect of an armed man on the loose was front page news.

Tensions heightened after police said that the public — and not just police — might be in danger. After days of tracking, police responded to reports that Moat was on a riverbank at about 7:20 p.m on Friday. They warned residents to stay indoors for their own safety. "When he was discovered he was armed," Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett of Northumbria Police said. "Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him and spoke to him extensively for several hours."

The siege wore on, and at one point police gave Moat food and water as negotiators attempted to persuade him to give up. But by early Saturday, officers apparently attempted to wrestle him to the ground and he turned the gun on himself.
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July 10, 2010 03:55 AM EDT
Copyright 2010, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 

[Cao Pi]

An armed British police officer in Rothbury, England, patrols a street as the manhunt continues for fugitive Raoul Moat, Friday July 9, 2010. Police are hunting the alleged gunman Moat, since Saturday when he is believed to have wounded a police officer and his former girlfriend, and shot dead her partner.
(AP Photo / Danny Lawson, PA)


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Armed officers are seen in the school yard at the middle school in Rothbury during the manhunt for Raoul Thomas Moat, Rothbury, England, Friday, July 9 ,2010. Police are searching for Moat in connection with the of shooting his ex-girlfriend, killing her new partner and seriously wounding a police officer .A letter reportedly written by Moat said he has declared war on the police hunting him and warns that they're "gonna pay for what they've done to me. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell).

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A British police officer stands next to a sign saying that National Trust estate property Cragside is closed due to the manhunt for Raoul Thomas Moat, in Rothbury, England, Friday, July 9, 2010. Police are searching for Moat in connection with the shooting his ex-girlfriend, killing her new partner and seriously wounding a police officer. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

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Members of the public gather at the police cordon, on a street in Rothbury, England, as a man identified as fugitive Raoul Moat is known to be nearby and surrounded by armed police, Friday July 9 2010. British police said Friday they are negotiating with the murder suspect, after searching for Moat for a week, who is wanted for allegedly wounding his ex-girlfriend, killing her new boyfriend and shooting to wound a police officer. (AP Photo / Chris Radburn, PA)
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[SwineHunter]

11 July 2010 - 09H32
Deadly British fugitive siege under investigation

Forensics officers at the scene of an armed stand-off in Rothbury, northeast England. British police were under investigation Sunday over the death of Raoul Moat after their dramatic armed stand-off ended with them firing a stun gun at him and the fugitive shooting himself dead.

British fugitive Raoul Moat is seen in a shop in Newcastle in this combination of CCTV images. British police were under investigation Sunday over the death of Moat after their dramatic armed stand-off ended with them firing a stun gun at him and the fugitive shooting himself dead.

British police were under investigation Sunday over the death of Raoul Moat after their dramatic armed stand-off ended with them firing a stun gun at him and the fugitive shooting himself dead.

AFP - British police were under investigation Sunday over the death of Raoul Moat after their dramatic armed stand-off ended with them firing a stun gun at him and the fugitive shooting himself dead.

One of Britain's biggest ever manhunts ended on Saturday when Moat killed himself after a six-hour siege -- though it is unclear whether he pulled the trigger before or after being fired at with the Taser electric shock device. British police have been criticised in recent years over high-profile fatal incidents, notably the shooting of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes in the aftermath of the 2005 London bombings, and the death of a man in last year's G20 protests.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed they were looking into Moat's death. "A full investigation will now be carried out and we will publish our findings in due course," said IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long. The IPCC was already probing why police failed to heed warnings from prison authorities that Moat would pose a potential threat to his former partner when he was released after serving an 18-week sentence for assault.

The use of Tasers has always been controversial in Britain. The stun guns fire two electric barbs and deliver a disabling 50,000-volt shock, which can penetrate clothing up to two inches thick. It leaves targets incapacitated and easier to arrest. After seven days on the run during which he apparently shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend, killed her new partner and injured a policeman, armed police surrounded Moat in the village of Rothbury in northeast England.

Moat, 37, had been spotted on Friday walking along a river on the edge of the picturesque village, which has been the focus of the massive search.
Newspapers speculated Sunday that he had been hiding in a drainage tunnel right by where he was snared. Armed officers cornered the former nightclub bouncer and father of three children in a field amid scenes of panic as local residents were told to stay inside their homes and lock their doors.

In a news conference, Sue Sim, the temporary chief of Northumbria Police, described how the stand-off had unfolded. "Negotiators were brought in to speak to him. For several hours negotiators were working to apprehend him safely," she said. "At around 1.15 am, from information available at the moment, it appears the suspect shot himself. It appears no gunshots were fired by police officers. "Right up until that time, police officers were striving to persuade Mr Moat to give himself up peacefully.

"During this time, officers discharged Taser, however, this did not prevent his death." Moat was pronounced dead in hospital at 2:20 am. In a bizarre twist, former England footballer Paul Gascoigne arrived on the scene in a taxi, claiming to be a friend of Moat and offering to negotiate. "He was a gentleman. Someone must have wound him up," the former Tottenham midfielder told Real Radio. Gascoigne -- who has alcohol issues -- turned up with a dressing gown, a jacket, some chicken, bread, a can of lager and two fishing rods.

"Me and him could sit and chat," he said. Police did not let him through the cordon. Soon after leaving prison, Moat shot and wounded his former partner, Samantha Stobbart, who is also the mother of one his children, killed her boyfriend, and shot and seriously injured a policeman in the Newcastle area. Moat told police he had a grudge against them, apparently fuelled by the fact that Stobbart had lied to him that she was dating a policeman, in a bid to persuade him to stay away from her. The shootings came just weeks after taxi driver Derrick Bird killed 12 people before turning the gun on himself in Cumberland, northwest England.