A POST mortem examination on the man shot by police marksmen revealed he had gunshot wounds in his neck, torso and arm.

Father-of-two Keith Richards, 47, was shot after an armed stand-off with officers at his house in Cheapside, Shildon, County Durham early yesterday morning.

He had been armed with a crossbow, and fired bolts from a bedroom window during the stand-off.

A post mortem carried out last night showed the injuries to his neck and arm were caused by the passage of one bullet, and all injuries indicated he was shot from the front.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the incident, and has found evidence that two rounds were fired from police firearms during the incident.

Two crossbows have been found in his house, and several bolts removed from grass nearby.

Ten IPCC investigators were deployed to the scene on Tuesday and forensic work is due to finish tonight.

The Commission is keen to hear from any witnesses to the incident.

Gary Garland, IPCC Commissioner for the North East, said: "This must be an incredibly difficult time for the man's family and my sympathies go to them.

"This was clearly a traumatic incident also for the police officers and the eyewitnesses. It is the first fatal shooting by police officers from Durham Constabulary and I am grateful for the full cooperation the force has given to the IPCC investigators.

"The investigation is progressing well, but it is still in its early stages. There will be analysis of a range of evidence, including eyewitness accounts and ballistic and forensic evidence, to help build a complete picture of what happened during the incident.

"We are grateful to those witnesses who have helped the investigators so far, but we are still keen to speak to anyone who witnessed any part of the incident which occurred between 12.30am and 2am.

"Even if you think the information you have is insignificant it may well help our investigation."

Anyone with information should contact the IPCC's witness appeal line on 0800-096-9078.

See Thursday's The Northern Echo for an exclusive story about the incident