The family of a man who was shot dead by police said they are "not content" with claims he "brandished a gun" at officers before he was killed.

Lithuanian national Giedrius Vasiljevas, 40, died after he was shot by an officer during an incident at his home on Weston Green, Dagenham, on November 23.

On Wednesday morning (December 13) coroner's officer Jean Smyth revealed that a forensic post-mortem examination on November 30 gave his cause of death as a “gunshot wound to the abdomen”.

Summarising the alleged circumstances, she said that on the evening in question, police were called by Mr Vasiljevas, who said he had two loaded guns with him and wished to take his own life.

She said Mr Vasiljevas presented himself to officers outside the property, seemingly unarmed, but “failed to comply” before re-entering the property and re-emerging “brandishing” a gun.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the incident, has said two shots were fired by an officer just before 9pm, and Mr Vasiljevas was pronounced dead at 9.30pm.

Senior coroner for east London Graeme Irvine said it is "very likely" the inquest will be heard by a jury”.

He added: “Can I offer my sincere condolences to Mr Vasiljevas’s family. This is a tragic set of circumstances on any interpretation of the facts.”

Appearing by video link, Niamh McLoughlin, representing Mr Vasiljevas’s family, said: “In terms of the summary that has been provided to yourself and the pathologist, the family are concerned at present that the narrative states that moments before shots were fired Mr Vasiljevas brandished the gun and pointed it towards the officers.

“The family have now had an opportunity to view the available body-worn footage (courtesy of the IOPC).”

She said it was “really not at all clear” that Mr Vasiljevas had acted as is claimed, and said the summary of events given refers to accounts provided by officers at the scene rather than the body-worn footage.

“The family are not content with that description of Mr Vasiljevas having brandished a gun,” she added.

The coroner said: “The facts of the circumstances of this event are going to be looked at with clarity in a public hearing and therefore I can’t give any indication as to any preliminary view…

“It’s very likely this inquest will be heard by a jury.”

Ms McLoughlin said: “The family are grateful this inquest will scrutinise the circumstances of events leading up to his death without any assumptions being made until we have clarity of evidence.”

Mr Irvine formally opened the inquest and adjourned it until May 22, but said he is “sceptical” as to whether that will be the inquest date, suggesting it is “likely to a pre-inquest review”.

Mr Vasiljevas’s family, the IOPC and the Metropolitan Police were identified as interested persons for the inquest.