LONDON -- An officer with the Metropolitan Police Service in London was shot and killed inside a police station early Friday morning.
The officer was detaining a man at the Croydon Custody Centre in Windmill Lane around 2:15 a.m. when the shooting occurred, according to a news release.
Paramedics came to the aid of the officer and he was transported a local hospital by the London Ambulance Service, where he was pronounced dead.
Officials say that a 23-year-old man was detained by officers at the scene and was also taken to hospital with a gunshot wound and remains in a critical condition. No police firearms were discharged during the incident.
“This is a truly shocking incident in which one of our colleagues has lost his life in the most tragic circumstances. My heart goes out to his family, direct colleagues and friends," Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in a statement. "We are currently supporting his family and also have a dedicated team providing support to the officers and those in the custody centre who witnessed the shooting.
"When a colleague dies in the line of duty the shockwaves and sadness reverberates throughout the Met and our communities. Policing is a family, within London and nationally, and we will all deeply mourn our colleague."
Police are in the early stages of the investigation and are still working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and have refereed the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who will lead an independent investigation. The Metropolitan Police Service will remain in charge in the murder investigation.
