July 10, 2010: IPCC To Investigate Death of Raoul Moat
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has decided to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Raoul Moat in the early hours of the morning on 10 July 2010.
The IPCC has confirmed that it received a telephone referral of Mr Moat’s death from Northumbria Police at about 4am this morning and a decision was taken by IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long that Mr Moat’s death would be independently investigated by IPCC investigators.
Moat had been was the subject of a search which attracted national and international attention after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and also allegedly murdering her partner, Chris Brown in Birtley, north east England, on July 3, following his release from Durham prison two days earlier. He is also alleged to have shot police officer David Rathband in his car on July 4.
At around 7pm yesterday evening, police discovered a man fitting the description of Moat near the riverbank in the Rothbury area. When he was discovered he was armed. Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him. For several hours negotiators were working to apprehend Moat safely.
At around 1.15am, from information available at the moment, it appears the suspect shot himself. It appears no gunshots were fired by police officers, though a Taser stun gun may have been fired. At around 2.20am he was pronounced dead at hospital.
Because police had contact with Moat prior to his death, the incident has been referred to the IPCC at the earliest opportunity, which is required in such cases. The IPCC immediately deployed its investigators to the scene.
IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long said:
” I send my sympathies to those people whose lives have been affected by the events of the last week, which includes those police officers at the scene for whom this must also have been a traumatic experience. It is a reminder of the difficult work the police service carries out on behalf of the public.
“This has been a difficult time for the people of Rothbury and the north east, who have been very stoical.
“Early indications show that gunshots were not fired by police officers and this will of course form part of the IPCC independent investigation. It is also understood that a police officer discharged a Taser and our investigation will also look at this.
“The IPCC has now two independent investigations. The first relates to the intelligence from the prison authorities on Mr Moat’s release and the second his death. I have decided that there will be one investigation covering both these aspects..
"We will be examining whether correct procedures were followed by Northumbria Police and the detail of how this incident came to a conclusion. A full investigation will now be carried out and we will publish our findings in due course so that there is a public account answering the many questions that people will have."