Croydon police officer shooting: Suspect in London HQ murder case is named
THE MAN suspected of killing police officer Matt Ratana in Croydon police station has been named.
Croydon: Cressida Dick pays tribute to Matt Ratana
The suspect in the murder investigation has been named as 23-year-old Louis De Zoysa, Sky News reports. The man, from Norbury in south London, remains in a critical condition in hospital so detectives have been unable to interview him about the shooting.
On Friday the Sergeant Ratana, 54, was shot in the chest at point blank range at Croydon custody suite.
The tragic incident happened after the suspect allegedly pulled a revolver from his trousers as he was about to have a coronavirus swab.
The 23-year-old suspect is then understood to have turned the gun on himself.
Investigators said the suspect was in handcuffs at the time of the shooting.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the custody sergeant was shot just moments before officers would have found the gun during a weapons sweet with a metal detector.
No police weapons were shot and the case is not being treated as terror-related.
The suspect had been arrested in the early hours of Friday morning by a special constable and a regular officer after he was seen behaving strangely and suspected of being in possession of Class B drugs.
After Sergeant Ratana was shot his colleagues battled to save the 54-year-old and was rushed to St George's Hospital in Tooting, where he later died.
READ MORE: London police station horror: Officer shot dead inside Croydon HQ
Another man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying a firearm.
Investigating officers have carried out several searches and are expected to focus on the motive for the killing.
Tributes to the officer have poured in, with Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick saying the "police family" is devastated by the incident.
A tribute took place earlier today to mark the death of the "irreplaceable" and "incredibly generous" man.
His cousin Adrian Rurawhe described him as an "awesome person" who "loved being a police officer".
Prince Charles also paid tribute to Sergeant Ratana during a National Police Memorial Day service, saying his death was the "latest heartbreaking evidence of the risks".
Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, speaking at the National Police Memorial in central London earlier, said she "hadn't been surprised at all" by the number of tributes paid to him.
She said: "Matt was an extraordinary person... he had a wonderful personality and he was very good at his job."