‘I won’t let him kill anyone else’ said man who wrestled Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist to ground
A civil servant who helped wrestle the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist to the ground did not want the suspect to get the “satisfaction” of being shot dead by police, an inquest has heard.
Darryn Frost, a communications manager for the prison probation service, attended the Learning Together event in November 2019 where Usman Khan killed two Cambridge University graduates, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.
Armed with a narwhal tusk, Mr Frost was one of three men who confronted the terrorist during his knife rampage inside Fishmongers’ Hall. Minutes into his attack, Khan told Mr Frost, “I am not here for you, I am here for the police. I am waiting for the police,” whilst revealing his suicide belt.
Mr Frost followed Khan out of the building with former offender John Crilly, who hosed Khan with a fire extinguisher, and Steven Gallant, a prisoner who was on day release at the time.
The three men tackled Khan to the ground and disarmed him of his two knives before armed police arrived on the scene when Mr Crilly told the officers to "just shoot the b******".
"I was telling them 'he's just killed people, he's got a bomb, just shoot him'," Mr Crilly told an inquest into the deaths of Mr Merritt and Ms Jones.
But Mr Frost feared Khan might set off the bomb once police arrived, as he had threatened to do.
Mr Frost told the inquest: "I said: 'I've got his hands, he can't kill anyone else, I won't let him kill anyone else.'
"I didn't want him to be shot. His statement that he was waiting for the police meant he wanted to die.
"I saw the chaos he had caused in the hall. I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of his choice when he had taken that away from others."
The communications manager continued to hold Khan, despite police telling him to let go.
Khan was shot dead minutes later after Mr Frost eventually followed police orders.
The inquest continues.
