THE family of Marcus Meade who died after being shot by police on Christmas Eve have said they are ‘mortified’ by the decision not to suspend the officers involved.
Officers were called to the father-of-two’s home in Fownhope Close by paramedics.
The 39-year-old was reported to have had a mental health episode and had a knife, a six-hour stand-off ensued which involved police negotiators and it is believed tasers were used.
Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo MBE said West Mercia Police had confirmed that the officers involved had not been suspended and, after a period of reflection, had returned to duty.
“To say the family are disappointed is an understatement.
“Clearly, to ensure an orderly transparent and fully cooperative process with the IOPC, it would have been prudent to remove the officer who fired the fatal shot from duty, as questions are being raised about the whole incident.
“What message does this really send to the community?”
Mr Meade’s mother, Deborah Freckleton, asked if the decision had meant it was “all right to kill my son”.
Father Anthony Meade added: “The Officers have had time to reflect and receiving support and we are left with planning a funeral.”
The family have announced that the funeral of Marcus Meade will take place in Birmingham on Thursday February 27 2025 at 10.30am in Lozells.
A police spokesperson said: “The officers involved have not been suspended and, after a period of reflection, have returned to duty.
“In a gravely serious incident such as this, the suspension of police officers is a significant decision.
“It is a process guided by regulations and policies, which we have adhered to.
“The decision is regularly reviewed, as the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation progresses, to ensure it remains appropriate and proportionate.
“We continue to cooperate fully and unreservedly with the independent investigation being carried out by the IOPC to ensure that Marcus’ family are given the answers that they rightly want and deserve.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigators have confirmed they are investigated a number of complaints made by the family.
Police strategy, tactics throughout the overall incident and officers’ actions and decision-making including any risk assessments of the situation, are being looked into.
In particular they are considering the level of force used by officers and whether it was necessary, reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances.
They are also looking into whether officers properly took into account Mr Meade’s mental health issues and if his race may have influenced any actions taken by police.
Other complaints that are being investigating include how police interacted with a member of Mr Meade’s family who attended Fownhope Close during the incident, the steps taken by police to communicate with Mr Meade’s family straight after his death, and if the date and time of the incident was a factor in the decisions made by the police.
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “I offer my condolences again to Mr Meade’s family, and everyone affected by his death.
“We are working hard to establish all the circumstances surrounding what took place that day. I would like to reassure everyone in the community that our work will continue to be thorough, impartial, and independent of the police.
“Our investigation is progressing and there is a large amount of evidence that our investigators are continuing to gather and analyse. All the officers involved are being treated as witnesses and this will be kept under review as the investigation develops.
“While we have undertaken some door-to-door enquiries in the neighbourhood, we would still like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed events or have information that could assist our investigation.”
