A man who is believed to be in his 40s has been shot dead by police in east London, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
The man had been 'making threats' and claiming that he was in possession of a firearm, police said.
He was shot by officers at around 4.45am and was pronounced dead at 5.17am on Monday.
"At approximately 3.50am on Monday April 9, police were called by a man making threats and claiming he was in possession of a firearm at an address in Collier Row," the force said.
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"Firearms officers attended the location and were informed the man had left the address, armed with a firearm.
"At approximately 4.45am a man - believed to be aged in his 40s - was shot by police in the vicinity of Collier Row Road and Lodge Lane.
"He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5.17am."
In a mandatory referral, the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
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The IPOC has also confirmed that it has now launched its own investigation into the shooting, and The Metropolitan Police's Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.
Road closures remain in place around Collier Row Road, Lodge Lane and Melville Road. Both the 247 and 294 buses have also been diverted, while the 252 is terminating early at Romford Market.
According to the Mirror, witnesses described seeing numerous police cars at the junction of Melville Road in Lowshoe Lane this morning.
Tweeting a picture of the scene, one person wrote: "Body in concourse Collier Row petrol station."
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Another Twitter user said: "Nice start to the week. Gunshots and actual bodies in Collier Row. S*** is getting real in these streets."
Another said: "All going on in Collier Row this morning! What a lovely world we live in!"
Someone else wrote: "What going on in #Collier Row this morning? Lots of police and road closure anyone know what's happening?"
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