Chichester Knifeman Died in Suspected ‘Suicide by Cop’: Smoker Shot Dead After Calling 999 on Himself

Chichester Knifeman Died in Suspected ‘Suicide by Cop’: Smoker Shot Dead After Calling 999 on Himself

A man shot dead by police outside Chichester Central rail station may have staged the confrontation in what investigators now suspect was a tragic case of ‘suicide by cop’. The incident, which unfolded in broad daylight, began when the man made a 999 call falsely claiming that there was an armed individual near the station.

 

Officers from Sussex Police responded swiftly to the emergency call on Sunday morning, deploying armed units to the scene. Upon arrival, they encountered the man, described as being in his 40s and reportedly wielding a knife. Witnesses say he appeared agitated and made no attempt to hide the blade. According to initial reports, he ignored repeated warnings to drop the weapon and advanced toward the armed officers, prompting them to open fire.

 

Paramedics arrived quickly, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Sources close to the investigation have since confirmed that the 999 call which sparked the incident came from the man himself. The hoax report of a gunman in the vicinity appears to have been a deliberate attempt to draw armed police into a fatal confrontation. Authorities are treating the incident as a potential ‘suicide by cop’ – a term used to describe a situation where a person deliberately behaves in a threatening manner to provoke a lethal response from law enforcement.

 

“It’s a deeply distressing case,” said a senior police official. “Our preliminary findings suggest the man had no firearm and posed no threat to the public beyond the knife he carried. His actions and the 999 call seem tragically calculated.”

 

The man’s identity has not yet been formally released, but it is understood that he was known to mental health services. Several eyewitnesses reported seeing him smoking outside the station moments before the incident, calmly pacing and occasionally speaking aloud, though it was unclear to whom.

 

One local commuter, who asked not to be named, said: “It was eerie. He didn’t look angry, just sort of resigned. Then the police showed up and started shouting at him, and it all happened so fast.”

 

As is protocol in incidents involving police shootings, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the man’s death. Body-worn camera footage from the officers involved is being reviewed, and forensic teams have examined the scene.

 

A spokesperson for Sussex Police confirmed that officers had fired their weapons and that the matter was being handled in line with standard procedures. “This is a tragic event, and our thoughts are with the man’s family,” the statement read. “We are cooperating fully with the IOPC inquiry.”

 

Mental health charities have called for greater support for individuals in crisis and more training for emergency responders in dealing with such complex, high-stakes scenarios.

 

While the full details may take weeks to emerge, early indications point to a deliberate and heartbreaking attempt to end a life by provoking lethal force — highlighting once again the intersection of mental health struggles and policing under extreme pressure.

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