A man believed to be in his 40s has been shot dead by police in Romford, east London, Metropolitan Police say.

The victim was said to be making threats in the Collier Row area, claiming he had a gun. The Met said he was shot by officers at about 04:45 BST and was pronounced dead at 05:17.

The shooting has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as well as to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

Local resident Angela Dorman was heading to work when she saw a “large police cordon” and “lots of police sirens”. “Collier Row Road is usually very busy with traffic at this time of the morning,” she said. “Traffic was being diverted up Lodge Lane which I thought was unusual and just knew something was wrong. “As I got to the Esso garage I could see white tarpaulin covering something, there were also gloves and tissues lying on the ground. I could see one police officer standing on the garage’s concourse.”

The IOPC confirmed it has launched its own investigation into the fatal shooting. A spokesman added: “Our investigators have been deployed to the scene and post-incident procedure to begin inquiries.”

London Ambulance Service sent two ambulance crews, two single responders and two incident responders to the scene, while the air ambulance also dispatched a road vehicle in a bid to save the man.

Transport for London says road closures around Collier Row Road, Lodge Lane and Melville Road remain in place.