IOPC says bodycam footage shows Joyce running at armed officers with a knife before being fatally shot once in the abdomen

A 38-year-old man, David Joyce, was fatally shot by armed police outside Milton Keynes railway station in a deadly Milton Keynes shooting. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, 1 April, is now under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC confirmed that body-worn footage and CCTV show Joyce, who was from Milton Keynes, running towards officers with a knife at 1.04 pm—just minutes after police were called to reports of a man seen carrying a firearm.

Thames Valley Police had received the initial emergency call at 12.55 pm, prompting a rapid deployment of firearms officers to the station on Elder Gate. Upon arrival, they challenged a white male—later identified as Joyce—who was visibly armed with a knife.

In a statement on Thursday, IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said:

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this man and all of those affected by this tragic incident. Given a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident.”

The IOPC said one single shot, fired at close range, struck Joyce in the abdomen. Officers and paramedics attempted to revive him at the scene, but he died shortly after.

Residents in flats above the station reported hearing a loud sound—one likening it to something heavy being dropped, another describing it as unmistakably a gunshot. Alan Brockbank, 70, said:

“All I heard sounded like something heavy had been dropped… Then, of course, [police] were all around the front of the building. We could see the person lying on the floor and they were trying to resuscitate him.”

Another witness saw CPR being administered behind the awning outside the station exit.

Despite initial reports of a firearm, the IOPC has so far confirmed only the presence of a knife in Joyce’s possession. No officers involved are under misconduct investigation at this stage and are being treated as witnesses.

The IOPC is appealing to anyone in the area who witnessed the incident or captured footage to come forward, emphasising the station’s high foot traffic at that time.

A post-mortem revealed the provisional cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. The IOPC has made contact with Joyce’s family and promised regular updates as the investigation progresses.