This week saw more details of the moments before Yassar Yaqub's death revealed as an inquest into his death continues.
The second week of the inquest into the death ofYassar,who was 28 when he was shot and killed by police on the M62, sat for just two days, with members of the press and Yassar's family sitting at a remote location,West Yorkshire Policeofficers at another remote location and counsel and Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC atLeeds Crown Court.
Yassar was killed by police at junction 24, Ainley Top, on January 2, 2017. He was the passenger in an Audi A4 being driven by Mohsin Amin, who was later jailed forconspiracy to possess firearmsand ammunition with intent to endanger life. The Audi and another car - a Volkswagen Scirocco - were travelling in convoy on the M62 before they were "boxed in" and stopped by police in four unmarked vehicles.
Read more:Yassar Yaqub inquest week 3 updates as officer who fired shot gives evidence
Yassar was shot at three times by a police officer from a 1.5m distance. Two bullets hit him in the chest and killed him. Officers later found a firearm in the footwell of the passenger seat of the Audi where Yassar had been sitting.
After a delay, an inquest into his death is now underway and is at the end of its third week. Jurors have so far heard details of Yasser's final moments and the lead up to his death and evidence from officers present at Ainley Top, including the one who shot him.
Here's a reminder of everything that happened in the inquest this week
Surveillance officer 'heard gunshots'
On Monday, jurors heard from Officer F, a man who undertook surveillance operations and was tasked with following the white Audi A4 on January 2, 2017.
Officer F told thecourthe had been deployed "around 15 to 20 times" during the course of Operation Fillview and as a result knew "some of the parties involved." He said he parked his car on Evelyn Avenue, near Akbar's Café, before following it to the M62. He said he was "made aware" of another team being instructed to take over and conduct an enforced stop. Officer F told the court he witnessed "part" of the enforced stop and then heard the sounds of gunshots.Read the full story here.
The inquest also heard a statement from Officer H, who said he took a surveillance vehicle to the Leeds Road area of Bradford and was part of the surveillance team that followed the Audi and Scirocco.
He described how he was soon overtaken by "a large black 4x4 vehicle", which he assumed was firearms. In his statement, Officer H said he saw the convoy and the 4x4 vehicle leave the M62 at junction 24.
He followed them off the motorway, where he said he found traffic stopped, though added much of his view of the scene was obstructed by firearms vehicles. Officer E said it was 'clear' firearms cars were boxing in the two vehicles to bring them to a stop.
Officer H said: "I remember hearing at least two shots, and I could hear people shouting, but I could not distinguish any particular person." Officers D and E added that they also heard shouting and shots.Read the full story here.
Police officer had 'no alternative' but to shoot Yassar Yaqub
During the third week of the inquest, jurors heard from the officer who shot Mr Yaqub. The operational firearms commander - given the code name V39 - was part of a fleet of vehicles that carried out the enforced stop on the Audi and Scirocco at Junction 24, Ainley Top.
V39 said that after the meeting at Akbar's Café, a "state amber" was issued, meaning they could carry out an enforced stop. When an opportunity arose to carry out the stop, V39 issued "state red" and the tactic was performed.
V39 told Tom Little KC that as the vehicles came to a rest, he "positioned" and "twisted" himself out of the window onto the bonnet of the Audi and illuminated the subjects and "challenged the occupants of the vehicles." He said when sat facing forward, his body would be in a 12 o'clock position, but after twisting and pointing the firearm at the Audi he was in an 8 o'clock position.
The officer said the driver - now known to be Amin - "immediately put his hands in the air" but the passenger - now known to be Yassar Yaqub - did not. He said: "Mr Yaqub leant down towards the footwell and I would describe it as crouching towards the driver...I repeated my challenges, 'armed police, show me your hands...He briefly looked up and looked back down. I again repeated the challenge."
V39 told thecourtthat by this point, the firearm was pointed at Yassar Yaqub and not Amin and his vision was "obscured" because of the dashboard. He added that he could see the tops of his [Yassar's] arms and shoulders but was "wanting to see his hands because of the intelligence" he had.
He said: "All of a sudden I see his hands moving while he remains slightly crouched and I immediately see the handgun in his hands." He added that it was on the last challenge that he saw the passenger's hands. The court heard: "It was highly unusual for the occupant not to be compliant with instructions. My focus was entirely on the firearm as it came up onto the dashboard...
beplay官网手机登陆“这是一把手枪。beplay官网手机登陆他的手冲上来board - I could see they weren't together but they were close. I knew they weren't together because I then saw the pistol grip of the handgun as it started to level its way up to my vicinity."
V39 says he then "discharged my firearm fearing for my life and my colleagues who I know would be approaching the vehicle to Mr Yaqub."
He said he did not consider any realistic alternative "because I would have been shot."
Tactic was to 'surprise' Yassar Yaqub
On Thursday, V39 told the jury the tactic of an enforced stop was to "surprise Mr Yaqub" and was questioned over whether the occupants of the vehicle would know he was a police officer.
V39 was questioned by Michael Mansfield, representing Mr Yaqub's family, and asked if he was "mistaken" over Mr Yaqub's positioning in the Audi that day, to which he said "no."
Hamish McCallum, representing Mr Yaqub's partner, Zoe Summers, questioned the officer on his appearance during the operation on January 2.
V39 confirmed that before, and at the time of the shooting, he did not have his police baseball cap on. The officer at the time confirmed that Mr Yaqub had his window shut and at the time the conditions were "damp," dark and they were near to the motorway. Mr McCallum said: "Essentially, what I'm putting to you is it is very difficult in that situation, for anyone to discern from your appearance that you are a police officer."
V39 responded: "I'd absolutely agree with that and had I been wearing my police baseball cap I would say the same too because of the high-powered torch on my weapon. If one was to shine a torch in your face I don't think you'd be able to see past the torch."
Mr McCallum said: "Ultimately, would you accept in those conditions, that speed and that very short period of time that the background noise, windows up, dark conditions, unable to see who is talking because of the power of the torch, it is going to be difficult to discern you are a police officer and what is going on around you."
The officer said it would not and he was asked: "Would you accept there is a fine line having the element of surprise, and that being confused state because of the circumstances of what can be seen, heard and whether subject knows you are a police officer."
He said: "I'd say there is no fine line, the tactical contact is to place the subject in surprise and the tactic is then to take the stage that if a lethal weapon is presented, the rest of my staff are arriving to surprise while giving challenges to step out of the vehicle. The challenges were clear and in all of my experiences, I have never experienced anything of the contrary of what happened."Read the full story here.
'No warning' before shots
On Friday, Mohsin Amin - the driver of the Audi on January 2, 2017 - gave evidence to the court from Leeds Crown Court. Amin confirmed he had been to Akbar's Cafe in Leeds Road, Bradford, on January 2, 2017 with Mr Yaqub after meeting at Ainley Top, and they had travelled back to Huddersfield using the same route afterwards. He said he had not seen Mr Yaqub go into the glovebox of the car and did not know of the presence of any gun.
Thecourtheard that Amin stopped the car when the enforced stop was carried out. He said: "I just remember green lasers. I didn't have time to notice the lights - the shots were fired immediately. As soon as we were blocked in, the shots were fired straight into Yassar and I heard 'armed police.'
Later, Mr Little asked: "I just want to confirm what you told us. First of all, there was no warning from anyone before YY was shot?"
Amin replied: "No there wasn't."Read the full story here.
Shooting like '100m race'
David Butlin, the driver of the white Scirocco, described the shooting of Yassar Yaqub like a 100m race. He described the stopping of the cars - and said he thought the Audi was going to go around the surveillance vehicle as it was going slow on the slip road before he saw the unmarked police vehicle make contact.
He said: "As the Mercedes made contact with the Audi there was a flash and shots fired and then X5 came to us and were shouting and there were guns pointed at us." He said he was made aware that the people on his right were firearms officers "after they pulled up."
Mr Butlin described the shooting like a "100m race" and said: "There was quiet, then shots then shouting. Shots were before the shouting."Read the full story here.
The inquest continues.
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