38-year-old man killed by police in Milton Keynes identified as David Joyce

A man who was shot dead by police in Milton Keynes after brandishing a knife at officers has been named for the first time.

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) identified the man as 38-year-old David Joyce, a resident of the town. 

Police were called to Milton Keynes railway station at around 12:55pm on Tuesday following reports of a man carrying a gun.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said armed officers challenged a white man who was carrying a knife outside the station before he "moved at speed" towards them and an officer shot him.

The IOPC said it had established that Mr. Joyce was killed by one shot fired at close range.

Police at Milton Keynes train station after a man was shot dead by armed police officers. Picture: Alamy

Investigators appealed for witnesses to come forward and said they had collected a knife and other evidence from outside the station.

The police watchdog added: "No other weapons were recovered from the scene. The police cordon at the scene was lifted last night (2 April).

"We were advised by [Thames Valley Police] that firearms officers were sent to the station shortly before 1pm following a 999 call reporting that there was a man with a gun at the scene.

"We have viewed police officers’ body-worn video footage and a substantial amount of CCTV footage and established that at around 1:04pm the man was just outside the railway station main entrance with a knife in his hand, and ran towards the officers.

"Shortly afterwards the man was shot at close range. We have established that a single shot was fired by one officer."

IOPC director Derrick Campbell said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this man and all of those affected by this tragic incident.

"Given a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decisions taken by the police.

"We appreciate that this incident outside a busy train station will understandably cause concern. We know the community will want answers quickly, and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts as we piece together what happened and how.

"We have obtained details of some members of the public who witnessed the incident who we will be contacting, however, we know there were many people near the station around the time of the shooting and we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the incident or has footage of it.

"We have contacted the man’s family and will meet with them soon to explain our role. We will keep them regularly updated throughout our investigation.

"Witnesses to the incident can contact us on 0300 303 5727 or by email at [email protected]"