Man, 42, killed in siege after shooting policeman

A 42-YEAR-OLD man was shot dead by police yesterday after shooting one officer and then continuing to fire from a house during a seven-hour siege.

Alistair Bell was shot by police marksmen at his home in the West Yorkshire village of Kirkheaton, near Huddersfield.

The incident began when uniformed police arrived at Bell’s home in Cockley Hill Lane at about 10pm yesterday to arrest the loner. Police said he shot one unarmed male officer on the doorstep. The pc was hospitalised with minor injuries.

Bell then moved back into the end-terrace house and continued to fire throughout the night.

Nearby residents said the incident ended at 5.30am when they heard one shot followed later by three louder shots in quick succession.

People living in the area said Bell was well known to the police and had a history of criminal behaviour and drug taking.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is trying piece together what happened last night.

Eyewitness Mark Blezzard, 30, who lives opposite, said he heard around eight or nine shots as he followed the incident throughout the night. “The police then just told us to stay inside but I could see what was going on opposite.

“Loads of police turned up — some carrying machine guns. They lit the house up like a Christmas tree and the armed police were behind hedges.”

Mr Blezzard, who works as an engineer, said he stayed up all night watching what was happening.

He said: “The police were shouting ‘drop your weapon, drop your weapon’ and all that carry on.

“I reckon there were about eight or nine shots through the night.

“I’m sure I heard one bounce off a wall.”

Another resident, Andrew Cousins, said: “At first we thought it was fireworks. We didn’t know it was actually gunshots. We heard the police saying ‘drop your weapon and come out with your hands up’. That’s when we actually realised.”

Cousins said the police told Bell: “Come out with your hands up. Put your gun on the floor and nobody will get hurt.”

He said: “That’s basically what they were saying over and over again.”

Locals said Bell had lived in the village all his life and his parents lived nearby. He was “well known to the police” and had served a number of jail terms, including one serious sentence of around seven years.

They said he lived alone with his pit bull-type dog and they could not remember him having a job.

Margaret Ainley, who lives on the road, said: “He was a bit of a troubled lad, there were problems with drugs I think. He never bothered me and would always wave if we crossed in the street.”

Others described him as a loner but Bell’s friend, Shane Livingstone, said: “He was a good bloke.”

Livingstone, who lives a few hundred yards from Bell’s house, said they went to school together in Almondbury, Huddersfield.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “We regret that the incident at the house did not conclude peacefully as we had hoped and can confirm that the man taken to hospital from the address has now died.”