A man armed with a crossbow has died from self-inflicted injuries after a stand-off with police at a burning pub.
Police responded to calls for a welfare check on a man at the Chequers Inn in Wootton at 10.15am on Friday (September 19).
Shortly after emergency services arrived, the blaze broke out and police soon discovered that the so far unidentified man was armed with a crossbow.
Locals reported an explosion ‘shaking the tiles off the roof’ of the 400-year-old pub.
Police said: ‘Extensive efforts were made to ensure the safety of all at the scene.’
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Specialist officers, including negotiators, were sent in an attempt to defuse the situation.
But when the man left the building at 12.45pm he had sustained self-inflicted injuries and was rushed to hospital.
He died there on Sunday.
Enquiries are ongoing and the circumstances of the death have been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in line with standard protocol, Bedfordshire Police said.
The historic Grade II listed Bedford pub, which was originally a farmhouse, was completely destroyed by the fire.
A Campaign for Real Ale spokesman said: ‘The pub is absolutely gone. A chimney is still standing, but not a lot else.’
The building was believed to have been built in the 17th century as a ‘fine timber-framed public house’.
A Wootton neighbourhood plan hailed the drinking house for ‘its diminutive scale, characterful roof form and large chimney stack which contribute enormously to its appearance and significance for the area’.
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