Claims that former mercenary Kirk Davies was walking away from armed officers when he was shot dead are to be investigated by police.

Mr Davies, of Selby, who had walked into the town's police station brandishing an air rifle camouflaged with webbing, was fatally wounded in the confrontation with armed officers from West Yorkshire police on Sunday night.

But the official log in which details of the incident were recorded is said to indicate that he was retreating when he was shot.

He died in Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield after emergency surgery.

A spokeswoman for the Police Complaints Authority said today: "The inquiry has only just started and we cannot comment until further investigations are completed."

Forensic tests will be carried out on Mr Davies' weapon and those of the police to determine whether they were fired.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said they were unable to comment on the allegations.

The shooting will be investigated by Detective Superintendent Tony Simister, of Greater Manchester police.

A former British soldier with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Mr Davies, 30, claimed he had been a sniper with Croatian special forces with 46 Serb kills under his belt.

Hours after pointing the air rifle at a police officer at Selby police station at around 9pm on Sunday, he appeared at the Newton Lodge secure unit in Wakefield where he told the receptionist he was looking for a woman.

Shortly afterwards he was challenged by armed officers in wooded land near the psychiatric hospital.

He refused to give up his weapon and was shot by police.

He died later in hospital.