A knifeman has been shot dead by armed police officers in central London.
The man was seen “acting suspiciously” in Westminster, at 23:25 GMT on Sunday, and pulled out two knives when he was challenged by officers on patrol, Scotland Yard said.
Armed officers responded and a Taser was used three times and a gun fired.
The man was confirmed dead by the London Ambulance Service in Great Scotland Yard but the incident is not being treated as terror related.
No members of the public or police officers were injured and inquires are ongoing, the Met said.
Investigators said two Ministry of Defence Police officers, who were on patrol, were told a man was acting suspiciously near Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank.
He failed to stop and they radioed for back-up warning he was carrying knives after firing a Taser.
The man is believed to have come across Hungerford Bridge before entering Northumberland Avenue, where Met Police officers fired another Taser.
A third Taser was fired before he was shot dead by a City of London Police officer.
Uniformed police officers manned cordons at Scotland Place, leading to Great Scotland Yard, and on parts of Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall near to Trafalgar Square.
The Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) are investigating the incident.
London regional director Sal Naseem said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with all of those affected by this terrible incident.
“It is mandatory for us to conduct an independent investigation when the police fatally shoot a member of the public.”
He added that investigators believe they know the identity of the man but his next of kin have not been notified.
“We have identified a large amount of relevant CCTV and many of the officers involved were wearing body-worn video.
“Over the coming days we will be retrieving and analysing that evidence,” he added.
Chairman of the Met Police Federation Ken Marsh called on the IOPC “to bring this matter to a swift conclusion”.
“Our thoughts are with our colleagues as they now go through the post-incident process, and it goes without saying that they have our full support,” he said.
