The attacker was not carrying a firearm, and one of the victims died of a gunshot injury, law enforcement officials have stated
One of the two victims killed in Thursday’s attack outside a synagogue in a Manchester suburb died after being shot by an armed officer, police have confirmed.
Greater Manchester Police chief constable Stephen Watson said the force believes that the attacker, identified as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, was not carrying a firearm and that the fatal injury was caused by gunfire.
“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” Watson said, as quoted by The Guardian.
The victims were identified as 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, who were killed outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall after al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, allegedly rammed a car into a crowd and stabbed a man. Police shot al-Shamie dead within seven minutes of being alerted to the incident on Thursday morning.
According to The Guardian, the armed officers who opened fire during the attack are being treated as witnesses rather than suspects in the inquiry into the fatal shooting. The investigation is being led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which has responsibility for overseeing cases involving police use of force.
One of the three hospitalized victims also appears to have been shot, police added.
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in planning a terrorist act.
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