Chelsea barrister dies as police storm house

An investigation was underway yesterday after a man was shot dead following an armed siege by police at a house in the upmarket Chelsea area of London. However, investigators refused to reveal whether the man had been shot by specialist officers or had turned the gun upon himself.

A post mortem on barrister Mark Saunders, 32, was being carried out yesterday after he was found dead at a flat in fashionable Markham Square, just off the King's Road, after a five-hour stand-off on Tuesday.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has opened an inquiry, said it was too early to comment on the cause or nature of his death.

"Metropolitan Police Service firearms officers entered a house in Markham Square and found the man," it said in a statement. "He was taken outside and given first aid and an ambulance called. The man was pronounced dead at the scene."

IPCC Deputy Chairman Ian Bynoe told reporters: "Until the post-mortem examination has been completed I have to keep an open mind... and cannot answer your questions concerning the cause or nature of the injuries."

He said it was too soon to say whether the incident had been triggered by a domestic dispute, as some newspapers have reported.

Fatalities involving the use of firearms by police must be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

One firearm, which was believed to have been lawfully owned, was retrieved from the house.

It is not clear how many shots were fired by police before they stormed the building, though there were three exchanges of fire between the gunman and police.

Colleagues of Mr Saunders at his chambers, Queen Elizabeth Building, said they understood the married man was involved.

"He was a very valued member of chambers," a spokesman said.

"All his colleagues are shattered. We have no understanding of what happened. It is tragic."

Mr Saunders specialised in family law, mainly matrimonial finance, and was included in the 2005 "up and coming" lawyers list.

In the past, he was described as "popular, gutsy and polished" with a "maturity and unflappability". The incident happened at the start of the Tuesday evening rush hour after reports a gun was being fired from the back of the flat into another house.

Police had earlier brought in a negotiator to try to talk the gunman out but no hostages were involved. Witnesses reported seeing a man carrying a shotgun and they said he had fired more than half a dozen shots.

It is not known what sparked the incident although police have ruled out robbery and burglary as a motive.

A bus driver said about eight police cars suddenly appeared as he was travelling down King's Road.

He stopped the bus immediately. "Passengers ran for their lives," he said. "I felt terrified. I immediately thought there was somebody with a gun."

Residents in nearby houses were told to lock their doors and stay away from windows.

The area around the King's Road, a fashion centre of Swinging London in the 1960s, contains some of the most expensive homes in the capital.