One of the victims who died in Manchester attack likely shot by officers, police say

By Peter Wilkinson and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

(CNN) — One of the victims who died in the Manchester synagogue attack and another who was injured were likely shot by armed officers aiming for the killer, police said on Friday.

The police said they believed the two victims were huddled behind a door in the synagogue in the northern English city, trying to prevent the attacker from entering, when they were shot.

The admission came the day after two Jewish worshipers were killed and three others seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The suspected attacker was also killed by police.

Manchester police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said one of the deceased victims “would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” according to a preliminary report from the Home Office pathologist.

He said that since the police believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, did not have a gun, it must have been the police gunfire that hit the victims.

“The only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community,” he added.

“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.”

The two men killed in the attack were named by the police as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. The police did not say which of the two men was believed to have been shot by the officers.

The police said three people were receiving treatment in a hospital for injuries sustained during the attack. One a suffered a gunshot wound, one had been stabbed and one was struck by the car involved in the attack.

The announcement from the police came just as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was visiting the site of the attack.

The police said on Thursday that armed officers arrived at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall just minutes after receiving a call from a member of the public that a car has been driven into people outside the synagogue.

The police said shots were fired by the officers at the scene, confirming later that the assailant had been killed by the police. A video from the scene showed armed police officers shouting instructions at bystanders and worshippers inside the synagogue, while pointing their weapons at a person lying on the ground.

This story has been updated.

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CNN’s Char Reck contributed reporting.