Man shot dead by police in Bedford after overnight stand-off

A man has been shot dead by police after an overnight stand-off in Bedford. Bedfordshire Police said it was initially called to reports of vehicles being damaged in Aylesbury Road at about 22:40 BST on Monday. At the scene, officers found a man in his 40s "barricaded" inside a semi-detached house and said he made threats to them. The force said specialist armed officers and police negotiators tried to engage with him over a number of hours but he "presented a weapon before police fired" at about 09:30 on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead shortly before 10:30 and police said his next of kin were being supported by specialist officers. Bedfordshire Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. No-one else was believed to be in the house during the stand-off. Mark Swales, a neighbour of the man who died, said his friend had been struggling with the loss of his father and parking issues in the street. Swales said he rang 101 to warn police there was a problem and that his neighbour needed help. He also said that, during the stand-off, he heard the man shout that he had turned the gas on and was threatening to blow the house up, before police disconnec