Man charged after ‘shots exchanged’ in 14-hour armed stand-off

A reported 20 shots were exchanged between a man firing from the balcony of an Oxford city centre property and armed officers on Bank Holiday Monday (May 7).

Duncan Shearman has been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and three further counts of possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid or gas.

Appearing at Banbury Magistrates Court on Wednesday (May 9), the 24-year-old was remanded to Oxford Crown Court on June 8.

Mr Shearman was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but a Thames Valley Police spokesperson confirmed he has not been charged with it.

Armed response officers were initially deployed to Paradise Square in Oxford around 1.15pm on Monday after reports that a man had a firearm.  

Thames Valley Police first tweeted about the road closures at about 3pm on Monday, as residents reported they heard loud bangs and up to 20 shots exchanged between the gunman and armed officers.

Homes were evacuated during the stand-off, though officers began to allow residents to return on Monday evening after presenting themselves at a police cordon.

The stand-off was “safely resolved” around 3am on Tuesday (May 8) when a man was arrested.

One person was treated for a non life-threatening injury but it was not related to the bank holiday incident.