Man shot outside school
A man has been shot outside a school during an incident involving armed officers.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman refused to confirm or deny whether armed officers had shot the man during a stand-off just after 3pm outside Hagley Park High School, in Burnthill Lane, Rugeley.
The shot man is seriously ill in the Staffordshire and District General Hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it had launched an inquiry into the shooting by armed officers as Staffordshire Police confirmed the man had been shot through the hand while sitting in the car outside the school.
Armed officers were called to Burnthill Lane after reports a man was wielding a gun and making threats to kill.
An IPCC spokeswoman said: "The man received injuries and if the police injure a member of the public it is referred to us. Our investigators are looking at the matter to establish if that is the case. The incident has been referred to the IPCC who have deployed investigators to the area to carry out an assessment. When that is completed they will determine what investigation follows."
Staffordshire Police said armed officers were called to Burnthill Lane when witnesses saw a man with a gun. Several shots were fired in the incident, said a spokesman.
He added: "At around 3pm armed Staffordshire Police officers were deployed to Rugeley following a report that a man with a firearm was sitting in a car outside Hagley Park School. At around 3.15pm a number of shots were fired, the man was shot in the hand and was taken by ambulance to hospital where he remains. A man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill. No other members of the public were involved in the incident and no one else was hurt."
