No evidence of police misconduct in Manchester synagogue attack response – IOPC

The police watchdog has found no evidence of misconduct in the fatal shooting of the Manchester synagogue attack victim who was hit by armed officers while taking down terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie.

But the three Greater Manchester Police officers who fired their weapons are being treated as witnesses and the case remains under review, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

Responding to the update, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said he welcomed that the watchdog had found that “no misconduct is apparent” in the force’s response.

The IOPC said several other officers involved in the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall last Thursday are also being treated as witnesses.

Father-of-three Melvin Cravitz, 66, was killed, along with Adrian Daulby, 53, believed to have been inadvertently shot by police as he ran to block the synagogue doors to stop Al-Shamie getting inside to continue his knife rampage.

In a statement on Wednesday, the IOPC said it can now confirm Mr Daulby suffered a “single but fatal gunshot” wound after armed police officers responded to the incident.

Injuries sustained by another man, who remains in hospital, were also as a result of a “single gunshot wound” caused by a police-issue firearm, the IOPC added.

Work is ongoing by a ballistics expert to understand how the man received the injury, the watchdog added.

IOPC director Emily Barry said: “This was a tragic incident in which innocent people lost their lives, and others were seriously injured.

“Families, and the wider community, are grieving the loss of loved ones following this act of senseless violence.

“As is standard in cases like this, we have gathered a significant amount of evidence as we piece together the events surrounding officers’ use of lethal force during the attack.

“At the same time, Counter Terrorism Policing North West continues to work tirelessly to investigate the attack – and we are working alongside them to ensure both investigations can progress as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

“We have also been in contact with Mr Daulby’s family, along with the other man injured in the incident and his family, to explain our role and will continue to provide support as needed.”

The IOPC said its investigation will look at whether police “may have caused or contributed to the death of Mr Daulby” and “any role the police may have played in the injuries suffered by the other man who suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound during the incident”.

Sir Stephen praised his officers’ bravery during the incident and said the force has been “inundated with messages of thanks and support”.

He said: “I welcome this continued support and acknowledge the fact that the IOPC have today confirmed their finding that no misconduct is apparent in the actions required of our officers in bringing this dreadful attack to an end.

“GMP is committed to openness, transparency and candour in respect of all our previous dealings with the terrorist.

“We have therefore asked the IOPC to include this aspect in their ongoing review.

“This includes previous reports of harassment, and an arrest for reports of rape over the past year, for which he was on bail at the time of the attack.”

The watchdog said it had also received a further referral from the force in relation to prior contact with Al-Shamie since December 2024, when an allegation of rape was made against him.

“We are currently assessing the available information to determine whether an investigation into this matter is required,” it added.