A man who died after plunging into the River Thames during a confrontation with police who repeatedly fired a Taser at him was carrying a firelighter, and not a screwdriver as previously reported, the police watchdog has said.
The man came face to face with two officers who were called to reports of a disturbance on Chelsea Bridge, London, just after 9am on 4 June.
The Guardian understands the Metropolitan police recovered the plastic and metal item the man had been holding from the bridge, shortly after the incident and on the same day.
In the immediate aftermath, the Met said that officers had been called to reports of a man shouting and clutching a screwdriver.
That information was repeated in another Met statement the following day.
On 5 June a Met press statement, issued after the man had died, said: “Police were called at 09:03hrs on Saturday, 4 June to a report of a disturbance in Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1. It was reported that a man was armed with a screwdriver and shouting at the location.”
After his death the Independent Office for Police Conduct began an investigation.
The man who died, Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore, 41, lived near Chelsea Bridge.
On Tuesday the IOPC said: “We have confirmed Mr Omishore was holding a plastic and metal firelighter when he was approached by two officers on Chelsea Bridge.
“The initial report to police stated he had a screwdriver. A Taser was discharged by one of the officers prior to the man entering the river. It has been confirmed the Taser was discharged more than once.”
Video from a phone camera circulated on social media showed some of the scene, in which the man came face to face with police, and then after the Taser is fired at him, jumping into water below the bridge.
The two officers involved are being treated as witnesses by the IOPC investigation and remain on full duties. The investigation will examine whether the use of force was necessary and proportionate.
Police officers need a reasonable belief that their use of force was necessary – they do not have to be right. Believing a person was holding a screwdriver when they were not, given they had to make decisions rapidly and under pressure, could be considered a justification for their decision to use the Taser.
In this case the call to police about the man’s behaviour on the bridge came from a member of the public. The IOPC will examine what the officers had been told about the incident they were going to, and what else may have led them to believe use of Taser was necessary.
An IOPC spokesperson confirmed that the firelighter was recovered by police from the bridge later the same day, and added: “We are not currently investigating the statements issued by the MPS after the incident.
“We are looking at whether the use of force, including the use of Taser, was necessary, proportionate, and reasonable in the circumstances.”
In a statement earlier this month, Omishore’s family condemned disinformation about the incident and said: “We believe that disinformation may already have been published, and ask that members of the public and press do not pre-empt the conclusions of the investigations which are now under way. We encourage anyone who has information about the incident on 4 June 2022 to contact the IOPC.”
The IOPC’s regional director, Sal Naseem, said: “Our thoughts remain with Mr Omishore’s family and all of those affected by his death. We continue to liaise with his family and to keep them updated on the progress of our independent investigation.
“Our investigators continue to gather and analyse key evidence, including footage recorded at the scene and initial accounts from officers and members of the public.
“We would urge anyone else who may have witnessed or recorded any part of the incident, either on the bridge or after Mr Omishore entered the river, to get in touch with us without delay. It is important we understand all of the circumstances surrounding his death.”
The IOPC continues to appeal for witnesses to the incident.
