Four addresses are being searched by detectives investigating the fatal shooting of a police officer in a custody suite in London.
Metropolitan Police sergeant Matiu Ratana, 54, was killed in the early hours of Friday when a handcuffed gunman opened fire before turning the weapon on himself.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder following the death at Croydon Custody Centre remained in critical condition in hospital.
Police line up in Croydon to pay respects to their colleague
“Due to his state, we are not yet able to speak to him,” he said during a news briefing at Scotland Yard.
He said the gun used in the killing had been recovered from the custody suite.
“We also have the CCTV from that custody suite, which shows the events” he said.
“And we have body-worn video of our police officers who were involved in the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the suspect.
“Our special investigators are carefully reviewing all of that footage, which will be considered alongside the accounts of the officers.”
The four locations being searched are:
- The custody centre where the shooting occurred
- An area of London Road in Pollards Hill, south London, where the suspect was initially arrested
- An address in Southbrook Road, Norbury
- An address in Park Road, Banstead, Surrey
Enquiries at these locations include “rigorous forensic searches which are expected to take days to complete”, police have said.
Sgt Ratana was looking forward to imminent retirement Pic: Met Police
Sgt Ratana, who died in hospital, has been described as “big in stature, big in heart, friendly, capable, a lovely man and highly respected by his colleagues”.
Friends say he was looking forward to imminent retirement, which he would have become eligible for in two months.
No police firearms were fired and the case is not being treated as terror-related.
A murder inquiry was launched by the Metropolitan Police, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog also began an investigation.
Prior to the shooting, the suspect had been arrested by regular officers following a stop and search, then handcuffed behind his back before being taken to the station in a police vehicle.
Sgt Ratana leaves behind a partner and adult son.
