Man shot dead by police officer named

A man shot dead by an off-duty police officer in Northern Ireland has been named. Marc Alexander Ringland was killed during a suspected robbery at a petrol station in east Belfast on 3 February. The Police Ombudsmans office is now investigating the incident amid claims that the 29-year-old had a knife and was carrying out a robbery when he was shot. Twenty investigators from the Police Ombudsman's Office are now probing the circumstances of the shooting. They are studying CCTV footage of the events in the filling station which could provide vital clues as to why Ringland was killed. It is believed the officer was in the petrol station when the robbery is alleged to have taken place. He shot the man who died at the scene. Nobody else was injured in the incident. A spokesman for the ombudsman's office said a forensic examination of the scene had taken place and investigations were continuing. "We have also identified and spoken to a number of witnesses, and would like to appeal for anyone else who may know anything about what happened to contact us on our freephone witness appeal line. The number to call is 0800 032 7880," he said.