Park siege gunman 'shoots himself' after 16-hour police stand-off

A suspected gunman apparently shot himself after a 16-hour stand-off with police, an eyewitness said today.

A single gunshot was heard at about midday at the centre of a police operation on Leagrave Common, in Luton, Bedfordshire.

One eyewitness said a man, who appeared to have been holding a sawn-off shotgun to his head, could be seen lying on the floor.

He said: "There was a gunshot. The man is now lying on the ground. He is surrounded by armed police and paramedics."

The stand-off was sparked at about 8.30pm last night when the man was challenged by armed police who suspected he was carrying a gun.

Armed officers surrounded the man and trained negotiators were brought in as police shut down the large open space.

Earlier, the eyewitness said the man was sitting cross-legged on a football pitch close to a set of goalposts.

He said the man was holding an object that looked like a sawn-off shotgun to his chin with the butt of the gun in his lap.

The dead man was described as aged in his late-30s or early-40s, wearing dark clothing. He was sitting next to a brown paper McDonald's bag.

A police cordon remains in place around the park between Sundon Park Road and Henge Way.

The eyewitness said: "There is a small group of emergency service people surrounding him on the grass. He is lying flat on his back.

"They have got an oxygen mask on him and a drip. An air ambulance has landed on the playing field nearby."

Asked what he saw when the bang sounded, he added: "Because we are a long way away, we just heard a bang.

"Similar to that which you might imagine a shotgun would make. He fell back from his sitting position."