Kent Police firearms officers were sent to the village of Stansted, near Sevenoaks, Kent, just after 8am on Saturday in response to a 999 call.

The caller said the man was in the street "wielding an Uzi-type sub-machine gun", the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

Police challenged him before firing two shots, both of which hit him. He died at the scene.

Villagers in Stansted speculated that a "troubled" stranger who spent the night before the shooting drinking heavily in the local pub could have been the victim.

The IPCC revealed that the man was white, about 40, and from Kent, although he did not live in Stansted. Investigators believe they know his identity, but he is not expected to be named until Wednesday.

It is not thought he held a firearms licence or was a member of a registered gun club.

In a statement, the IPCC said its investigation was "progressing well", with police helping to gather forensic evidence from the scene.

The shooting happened near the junction of Tumblefield Road and Wrotham Hill Road, not far from the A20 and the M20. A weapon matching the description given in the 999 call was recovered and a white Mitsubishi car believed to belong to the man was towed away from the scene.

Kent Police have moved the two officers who fired their weapons in the incident to non-firearm duties.