Residents ‘shocked’ after man with crossbow and gas mask shot dead by police after breaking into house

Residents in a quiet residential area have been left shocked after a man armed with a crossbow and carrying a gas mask was shot dead by police after trying to break into a woman’s home yesterday.

The man who was shot has been named locally as Bryce Hodgson, 30, believed to be from West Dulwich.

Armed officers were called to Bywater Place in Surrey Quays just before 5am after receiving reports a man armed with weapons was trying to get inside a property, the Met said.

A resident living nearby, who did not want to be named, told the South London Press he was woken up by the sound of police breaking down the door to force entry to the property.

He said: “It only took a few minutes before armed police turned up. I heard them shouting ‘withdraw, withdraw’ – I don’t think a taser was going to be enough. Then I heard two shots.

“The medics dragged the body to the street to do chest compressions but then they covered him in a white sheet.

“The women living in the property were frisked and taken away.”

Hodgson, who was wearing body armour, died at the scene. It has now been confirmed that officers have informed Hodgson’s next of kin.

Weapons recovered from the scene included a crossbow, a knife, a sword and a hatchet.

Another resident who witnessed the police arrival said a blue wheelie bin – which remains outside the property – had been used by the intruder to climb over the wall into the garden.

At the scene, the front door of the property stands open, with blood across the wall and on the floor outside the home.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation after the man’s death, which is standard procedure when there is a fatal police shooting.

The IOPC report said police officers “unsuccessfully attempted to speak to the man, who had gained entry to the property”, but then “called for assistance from armed officers after being threatened”.

A spokesman from the IOPC said: “After arriving at the scene, the armed officers then entered the house where the man was shot.

“We can confirm two shots were fired from a police issue firearm, which will be subject to further analysis.”

Two people suffered minor injuries.

A woman who lived a few doors away from the property said: “It’s just so sad.

“This is such a nice area with wonderful people, it’s upsetting. The back of the house is all still smashed in.”

Last July, Hodgson was sentenced to a 16-week suspended prison sentence at Croydon Magistrates Court for stalking a woman in her 30s, between January 1 and April 29 last year, it has been reported.

After pleading guilty he was spared immediate imprisonment and ordered to undergo 12 months of supervision and 120 hours of community service.

The IOPC believes Hodgson was known to at least one occupant in the property.

The Met Police’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “Officers knew there were people inside and had genuine fears for their safety.

“The officers, assisted by paramedics, provided emergency first aid to the man, who was wearing body armour, but he sadly died.

“I firmly believe their actions prevented further loss of life.”

Pictured top: Police remain at the scene of the shooting with a cordon in place around the property – and Bryce Hodgson (Picture: Claudia Lee/ Supplied)