<p><br /> A firearms officer told an inquest that he "could not justify" shooting barrister Mark Saunders as he drunkenly waved a shotgun in the air.<br /> </p><p><br /> The officer, known only as Alpha Zulu 14 (AZ14), said the 32-year-old did not appear to aim the 12-bore weapon at police surrounding his home in Markham Square, Chelsea.<br /> </p><p><br /> He added that he could not see if the gunman had his finger on the trigger in the seconds before he was fatally wounded in a volley of police shots.<br /> </p><p><br /> Westminster Coroner's Court heard the breach of Mr Saunders' shotgun was found in an "open" position, suggesting it could not have been fired, when officers stormed his home.<br /> </p><p><br /> AZ14, a member of Scotland Yard's diplomatic protection group, was one of the first armed officers to arrive after Mr Saunders blasted his shotgun on May 6, 2008.<br /> </p><p><br /> Giving evidence, the officer said he was in the basement of 1 Bywater Street when the fatal shots were fired at 9.32pm, but did not pull the trigger himself.<br /> </p><p><br /> He said: "If I did not believe the firearm was pointing at anybody I was not going to pull the trigger. I have to believe there is a threat to life. That threat to life is going to come when I believe the firearm is pointing at somebody. Until that happens I am not justified in my actions to pull the trigger."<br /> </p>
