Suspect, 23, who was critically wounded in police station shooting that killed Sgt Matt Ratana, 54, is arrested on suspicion of murder after his condition improves
- Man, 23, has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Sergeant Matt Ratana
- Sgt Ratana was shot at Croydon Custody Centre in early hours on September 25
- Met Police confirmed suspect’s condition, originally critical, had since stabilised
A 23-year-old man has today been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Sergeant Matt Ratana.
Louis De Zoysa allegedly shot the 54-year-old Metropolitan Police officer at Croydon Custody Centre in the early hours of September 25.
Sgt Ratana was taken to hospital but later died from his wounds.
De Zoysa, 23, was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound in a critical condition.
Police confirmed today the suspect’s condition had stabilised and he had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Sgt Ratana was shot at Croydon Custody Centre in the early hours on September 25, and later died in hospital
Sergeant Matt Ratana pictured shaking hands with Dame Cressida Dick in a picture released by Scotland Yard
Su Bushby, Sergeant Ratana’s partner, with the New Zealand-born officer
As the suspect remains in hospital, officers will liaise with the relevant medical and legal teams to make an assessment of when he will be fit for interview, the Met Police said.
Officers and paramedics treated Sgt Ratana at the scene and he was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service, but he died at hospital.
Specialist family liaison officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are in regular contact with and supporting Matt’s partner, his son and wider family. They have been informed of today’s arrest.
Tributes paid to Sergeant Ratana following his death remembered the police officer of almost 30 years as a ‘gentle giant’ and ‘irreplaceable figure’ who was part of the ‘police family’.
His partner said he would ‘always be in my heart’ and at his funeral, Sgt Ratana’s boss revealed he used to jokingly ask to be called the ‘Sheriff of South Norwood’.
Last month, an inquest into Sgt Ratana’s death opened at Croydon Coroner’s Court.
Dame Cressida (centre) salutes as the funeral car is driven following his funeral service in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick stands (front right) at the funeral service in Sussex
The inquest heard Mr Ratana was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting but he was pronounced dead at 4.20am.
No members of Mr Ratana’s family, including his partner Su Bushby, were present for the hearing, although Mr Ratana’s son in Australia was among those listening in remotely.
Sarah Ormond-Walshe, senior coroner for south London, adjourned the hearing until a further date.
A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest. A revolver was later recovered from the scene and no police firearms were discharged.