Harry Stanley was shot dead by police in 1999 in Hackney, East London. Harry was carrying a table leg, which officers claimed they thought was a sawn-off shot-gun. They had apparently had a tip off that there was an Irishman in the pub with a gun.
On October 29 2004, more than five years after his death, an inquest reached a verdict of unlawful killing against the two officers involved, who were subsequently suspended.
Harry's family, who have mounted a strong campaign for justice, argued that ballistics evidence proved that the police claim that they had called out "Stop. Armed Police" and only fired when Harry turned with the table leg (which was in a plastic bag) raised upwards as if he was about to shoot, could not possibly be true.
In response to the suspensions, twenty Metropolitan Police officers have handed in their weapons.
While we are happy that there are fewer armed police on the streets of east London, we think this action suggests the police think they should be outside the law - something that will only result in the deaths of more black and working class people at their hands.