A “heroic” neighbour who sacrificed his life to save a two-year-old boy died after being repeatedly hit with a kettlebell, a coroner has said.
The body of Richard Woodcock, 38, a highways officer, was found by Thames Valley police when they forced their way into a property in Milton Keynes on 26 June last year.
They had been called to a disturbance at the flat at about 9.40am. Another man, Kelvin Odichukumma Igweani, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene after a police officer fired four shots.
Woodcock had gone to the flat, which was next door to his own, to help a boy who was thought to be in danger, Milton Keynes coroner’s court heard. The coroner, Tom Osborne, ruled that Woodcock was unlawfully killed and concluded that the little boy, who sustained life-threatening injuries and needed surgery, was saved by Woodcock’s “heroic conduct”.
A postmortem examination found Woodcock received traumatic head injuries consistent with repeated blows to the head area, and a large kettlebell was thought to be the weapon used, the court heard.
Woodcock intervened after a screaming woman came to his flat from next door “fearful of her life and obviously in an agitated state”.
His wife was on a 999 telephone call to the police when Woodcock decided to try to help the child in the flat. He was dragged inside and seriously assaulted “to the point where he was hit with a 4kg dumbbell”, the coroner said.
He said Woodcock’s death had had a devastating effect on his family, who would be haunted by what happened.
A woman and another young child managed to flee the address before police arrived.
DS Mike West, of Thames Valley police, told the court that two firearms officers responded and a Taser was used on Igweani, who had become “aggressive”.
West said: “Officers gained entry to the address and saw Mr Woodcock prone on the floor. There was a large kettlebell and he had significant head injuries.”
The inquest previously heard that the Taser was ineffective and Igweani barricaded himself in the main bedroom, where a child could be heard crying along with the sound of an ongoing assault.
Police gained access to the bedroom and a police firearm was discharged. The coroner said: “Officer shots were fired and Mr Igweani suffered gunshot wounds.”
An inquest into Igweani’s death will be held at a later date.
