Chelsea Bridge: Family of man who died after Taser discharge 'distressed'

The family of a man who died after being pulled from the River Thames having been Tasered by officers have spoken of their unhappiness at his treatment by police.

Relatives of Oladeji Adeyemi Omishore have welcomed a correction that he was not armed with a screwdriver, as reported by the Met Police on 4 June.

On Tuesday the police watchdog said it was a plastic and metal firelighter.

The family said they were "deeply distressed".

Releasing a statement through the charity Inquest, the family expressed concerns about how police dealt with the 41-year-old at a time when he was "clearly suffering from a mental health crisis and he was vulnerable and frightened".

On 4 June, officers tried to detain Mr Omishore, saying they had received reports he was armed with a screwdriver on Chelsea Bridge Road.

He fled and ended up in the River Thames and later died in hospital.

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigators confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Omishore had been Tasered more than once.

In the family's statement, the family said: "We welcome the long overdue correction that all Oladeji had in his possession at the time was a lighter.

"Deji was clearly suffering from a mental health crisis and he was vulnerable and frightened.

"We have set out our concerns to the IOPC about how the officers communicated with him, their repeated use of force on him, and its impact."

They also expressed concern at reports that the two officers involved remained on active duty.

Following the family's statement, an IOPC spokesperson said: "The family of Oladeji has complained to us about statements issued by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) after he died, which mentioned they had been called to a report that he was in possession of a screwdriver.

"We will now be investigating that complaint as part of our wider investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

"We were unable to verify that the object Oladeji was carrying was a firelighter until we received that from the MPS on Thursday 9 June.

"We gave this information to his family on Monday 13 June once we had appropriate support in place for them through our family liaison manager. We have apologised for the distress this delay caused."

At the time of Mr Omishore's death, Det Ch Insp Rory Wilkinson said: "There are always concerns about incidents in which people come to harm having been in contact with police," adding that "all Met officers know that they are accountable for their actions".

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