Man Shot By Police in South Shields

29 March 2016, 11:07 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A 24 year old man is in hospital, after he was shot by police during a confrontation in South Shields in the early hours of this morning.

It happened in Frenchman's Way this morning, as officers responded to a report of a man in the streets with a handgun. 

In a statement, Northumbria Police said: 

"At 1:02am on Tuesday, March 29, police received a report of a man in possession of a handgun in the street in Frenchmans Way. 

Armed officers attended and made contact with the man, during which the man was shot by police. 

A section of Frenchman's Way has been cordoned off while enquiries into the incident are carried out. 

The 24-year-old man has been taken to hospital with a single gunshot wound and is currently receiving treatment"

The matter has now been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Comission, as is standard when someone is seriously injured during contact with police.