Officer to face police inquiry in shooting

Anthony Grainger died of a single gunshot wound to the chest after the stolen car he was in was stopped last month (PA)

A firearms officer will face a criminal inquiry after shooting dead an unarmed man in a village car park, the police watchdog has said.

Anthony Grainger, 36, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest after the stolen car he was in was stopped in Culcheth, Cheshire, on 3 March.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said the Greater Manchester Police officer would be "criminally interviewed". It has previously said no firearms or weapons were found on Mr Grainger, who was an "odd job man".

In a statement, the IPCC said: "A notice has been served on the officer who fired the fatal shot to explain that his actions are under investigation."

Mr Grainger, who lived in Bolton, was shot in the driver's seat of a stolen red Audi with false registration plates in what police called a "pre-planned operation".

Officers shot the car's tyres and threw a CS canister into the vehicle before Mr Grainger was fatally hit.

The IPCC has told his family the shooting was being investigated as a criminal matter.