A TRAUMATISED dad has described the horrific moment he was accidentally shot by armed police, leaving him in agony.
Aaron Humphries feared he or an innocent bystander could have been killed when he was shot in the leg in Worcester.
The 32-year-old suffered 'life-changing injuries' after an officer's gun was discharged during his arrest.
At the time he had an imitation firearm with him and had gone to Ronkswood Hill, Worcester, after causing criminal damage at his ex-partner's home in Dines Green.
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Mr Humphries, speaking for the first time about the shooting, said: "I just remember the gun going off. Then I was on the floor."
The bullet went through his car door first, causing the glass in the BMW to shatter, grazed his left knee then went through his right leg and out the other side.
A deep entry wound and exit wound are still visible and he says he struggles to walk and remains in pain.
Mr Humphries has since had to give up his job and is plagued by nightmares and flashbacks, symptoms of PTSD.
He described the pain when he was shot as 'excruciating'.
"The bullet was found up the road under a car somewhere. I wouldn't want to know what it felt like before it went through the car door - the door probably acted as a bit of a shield," he said.
He remembers hearing officers shout 'shots fired!' as he slumped to the ground in agony.
Mr Humphries said he was handcuffed as he lay injured.
An ambulance took him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and he was given morphine for the pain.
The bullet had shattered the bone in his leg (the right tibia just below the knee) and two tourniquets were placed on his leg at the scene.
"I thought it must have been a rubber bullet until I saw the blood. If it was not me who was shot - it could have been anyone," he said.
His injuries required four to five operations including skin grafts, all performed at the QE, where he stayed for just under three weeks and remained 'in custody'.
When he was deemed well enough, he was taken to HMP Hewell.
"There were stairs everywhere in prison. I just had to struggle," he said, explaining how he would get about on crutches.
Since the incident, he has started to suffer fits. "I had seven small seizures in one day in prison," he said.
Living alone in Birmingham, he has lost his job as a civil engineer.
He was earning £45,000 a year. Now he's getting £260 per month on Universal Credit.
It has also been tough on his family - his son was just nine when his dad was shot, 'old enough to understand what happened.'
Mr Humphries said he had received no letter of apology from the officer or the force itself.
He also stressed that the imitation firearm he had in his car was just a plastic 'toy' BB gun and was never brandished or used to threaten anyone.
"I wouldn't do anything like that but understand the person who saw it (in the car) might have seen it the wrong way," he said.
At the time of the incident he had split up with his partner in Worcester and was asleep in the car.
"I wasn't bothering anyone. I hadn't even spoken to anyone that morning. Someone looked through my window and called the police," he said.
He accepts he broke the law but said: "I have paid my price and being shot in the leg should not have been part of it."
In January, this year Humphries was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for two years at Worcester Crown Court.
He admitted possession of an imitation firearm (an MP5K submachine gun) and criminal damage.
He further admitted criminal damage - destroying property without lawful excuse - on the same date, including windows, a door and a Ring Doorbell belonging to Platform Housing.
Following the case, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said West Mercia Police had a case to answer for misconduct.
However, the force's internal investigation ruled there was no misconduct as the firearm was discharged accidentally during the shooting on Saturday, October 2 last year.
The officer remains on active duty although their authorisation to carry firearms has been withdrawn.
The father-of-two is now mounting a High Court legal challenge over the force's handling of the case and is seeking compensation from West Mercia Police.
Deputy Chief Constable Julian Moss said: “As Aaron Humphries has admitted, he was carrying an imitation firearm at the time of this incident.
"Of course, officers responding did not know that it was an imitation and not the real thing – therefore their weapons were drawn whilst they worked to resolve the situation.
“During the incident, an officer’s weapon was discharged and we immediately made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). They referred the matter back to the force to establish if the officer’s actions amounted to misconduct.
“As such a misconduct meeting was held. The meeting fully reviewed all of the evidence and it was determined that there was no misconduct as the firearm was accidentally discharged, which of course we apologise for.
"We stand by the finding and are satisfied that due process has been followed. We have also identified organisational learning from the incident and work is underway to address this. We can confirm the officer has had their authorisation to carry firearms withdrawn.”
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