Gunman 'had multiple bullet wounds'

May 8 2008

A barrister killed in a five-hour shootout with police died of multiple bullet wounds, sources have said.

Mark Saunders, 32, was found dead after armed police ended the siege by storming his luxury Chelsea flat. Investigators declined to give details of a post-mortem examination carried out by pathologists in Westminster on Wednesday night.

An inquest into Mr Saunders' death will be opened on Friday morning at Westminster Coroner's Court. Representatives from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and Metropolitan Police will give further details of the shooting at the hearing.

Earlier, Mr Saunders' family demanded answers over how he met his death at his luxury Chelsea flat. His father Rodney questioned why officers shot his son, who he claimed was not a lethal threat.

Speaking at his Cheshire home, Mr Saunders said he did not believe anyone had been put in danger. He told London's Evening Standard: "Put it this way, he didn't endanger anyone at all to my knowledge and we can only surmise what might have happened before the whole thing started.

"I just don't know. You would imagine that it will come out in the fullness of time. We will want answers as to why police shot him."

Fresh details of what led to the shooting emerged as Mr Saunders' mother Rosemary insisted his wife, Elizabeth Clarke, was not at home at the time. She said Mrs Clarke returned home from QEB Chambers, where the couple worked as barristers, but was not able to pass the police cordon.

Mr Saunders died after blasting at police officers, neighbours and buildings with a shotgun from his £2.2 million Markham Square flat. As the siege unfolded, Mr Saunders threw a tender message to his wife from a window, suggesting a row between the couple may have sparked the drama.

Colleagues at QEB Chambers, where Mr Saunders worked as a divorce barrister, described the incident as a "personal tragedy".

Mr Saunders was a member of the Territorial Army's Honourable Artillery Company for three years until 2002. Investigators confirmed a legally-registered shotgun kept at his home has been recovered by police.