The father of a suspected drug baron shot dead by police on a motorway has criticised officers for killing his son and failing to wear body cameras.
Police firearms officers shot dead Yassar Yaqub, 28, through the windscreen of a white Audi on the M62 near Huddersfield last Monday night. Despite an announcement last August that the cameras would be introduced throughout West Yorkshire police, the marksmen were not wearing them.
Yaqub’s family and campaign groups have criticised the force. Some protesters likened his death to that of Mark Duggan, 29, whose shooting by police in 2011 led to rioting across England. About 100 demonstrators, some in masks, took to the streets of Bradford last Tuesday night and a vigil was held last Wednesday at the scene of the shooting.
The protests came as fresh claims emerged about Yaqub’s criminal background, including allegations that he used drones to smuggle drugs into prison. His father, Mohammed Yaqub, 59, said he knew only that his son was shot instantly and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was looking into the incident.
Yaqub, a father of two, used the online nickname “stud badboy” and liked luxury cars. He was once cleared of attempted murder when his trial for a drive-by shooting collapsed. He had previously been targeted by gunmen. His friends insist that he was a devoted family man.
After the shooting five men were arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear. Three men remain in custody and two men, aged 26 and 30, were granted bail pending further inquiries. Local campaigners in the Just Yorkshire group criticised the force for a lack of video evidence, questioning processes and protocols.
