Man who died in London Taser incident ‘was distressed hours before police called’

The police watchdog has opened an investigation into the incident after a mandatory referral by Scotland Yard. Photograph: Steve Taylor/SOPA Images/Rex/Shutterstock

A man who fell to his death from a balcony when police fired a Taser last week had been in distress for hours before officers were called, a neighbour has said.

Police have not named the man, who was described as quiet, solitary and kind by neighbours in Peckham, south-east London, on Tuesday. Mourners who laid flowers at the scene said they wished they could have done more to help him.