Woman Shot Dead By Armed Police
Armed police have shot dead a woman after a stand-off in a deserted department store car park.
The 37-year-old was killed by officers investigating reports of a woman with a gun in the early hours.
Sources have told Sky News she was a martial arts expert.
Forensic experts have been combing the M & Co car park, behind the High Street in Sevenoaks, Kent, for clues.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is probing the incident, said a gun was recovered at the scene.
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Witnesses described hearing shouting during a 20-minute stand-off, followed by a single gunshot at about 3am.
School caretaker Kevin Taylor, 47, whose home in Buckhurst Avenue overlooks the car park, said he heard someone shout: "Drop the weapon."
He added: "It was all over in about 20 minutes. As soon as the shot rang out I knew it was serious."
IPCC commissioner Nicola Williams said police were first alerted at about 1.20am to a woman in the High Street area with a gun.
She said: "I send my sympathies to the woman's family and friends and also the police officers concerned."
She declined to comment on reports the victim was a martial arts expert who was known to police. She said the woman was local.
The woman, who has not been named, was given first aid but died at the scene.
Part of the town centre, including a bus station, has been sealed off.
Map highlighting Sevenoaks, England.
A woman, reported to be an expert in martial arts, has been shot dead by police in a car park behind ''M&Co'', a women's clothing shop in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. According to reports, the woman pulled a gun on police who then shot her.

"I can confirm that in the early hours of this morning Kent Police fatally shot a person. This has been referred to the IPCC which has a team of investigators now at the scene," said a spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A bus station in Sevenoaks was shut down and closed off to the public while police investigated the incident. A tent was placed over the crime scene to ensure that evidence was kept intact.

Regular police officers do not carry guns in the United Kingdom. Special officers are dispatched to scenes with guns only if situations become serious or dangerous.