Police fire caused one death, injury at Manchester synagogue

Police gunfire likely killed one man and injured another as officers responded to an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England, local police said on Friday. The two victims were likely hit as they huddled against the synagogue door to block an attacker from entering the building, according to Greater Manchester Police. Officers were shooting in that direction to take down the attacker, according to the police.

The police shooting was the “tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” said Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.

The suspect, tentatively identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, rammed his car into people outside the synagogue on Thursday morning as they gathered to mark the Yom Kippur holy day. He stabbed at least one person with a knife. He killed one man and wounded two others, according to police. Officers then shot and killed the attacker, who was a British citizen of Syrian descent. He did not appear to have used a firearm, according to police. Shamie’s car-and-knife attack was declared an act of terrorism.

Who were the two men who died in the attack? Police informally identified the deceased individuals as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Family liaison officers were assisting their families through the investigation and coronial process, according to police.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on the attack.