Shooting of Stephen Waldorf

Stephen Waldorf was a 26-year-old film editor who was shot and severely injured by Metropolitan Police officers in London, England on January 14 1983. The officers mistook Waldorf for David Martin, an escaped prisoner charged with attempting to murder a police officer. Waldorf was unarmed and sitting in his car in a traffic jam in Pembroke Road, Earls Court, London, when he was shot five times in the head and body at close range. The police discharged fourteen shots in all.

Waldorf was unconnected with Martin, though the police believed that his passenger, Sue Stephens, was Martin's girlfriend. Waldorf eventually made a full recovery and was paid £150,000 compensation by the police.

David Martin was rearrested shortly after the shooting, he was found guilty at Old Bailey of the attempted murder of PC Nicolas Carr and was sentenced to life in prision. He later committed suicide when he was found hanging in his prison cell.

Police officers John Jardine and Peter Finch stood trial for attempted murder and attempted wounding of Waldorf, but were cleared of all charges in October 1983.

In a 1991 edition of BBC's Panorama, Waldorf recounted that after being shot, he fell out of the open car door, at which point a police officer pressed the barrel of his revolver between his eyes and said, "Okay, cocksucker," before pulling the trigger. Finding that he had already used all his ammunition, the officer then pistol whipped Waldorf until he lost consciousness.

Open Fire, a TV drama about David Martin and the shooting of Stephen Waldorf, was made by London Weekend Television and shown on the ITV network on 21 November 1994.

External links

• BBC "On this Day"