Autistic boy, 14, with heart condition dies as mum claims he was ‘scared to death by cops unexpectedly banging on door’

A GRIEVING mum has accused the police of scaring her vulnerable 14-year-old son to death. Tragic Leo Gurr, who was autistic and had a heart condition, suddenly collapsed and died after officers banged on his front door causing him to panic and flee, according to mum Shannon. Leo Gurr, 14, died suddenly after police knocked on his door Credit: Shannon Gurr Shannon with Leo, who died in June Credit: Shannon Gurr The schoolboy was found an hour later in a cut-through behind his family home in Southampton, having suffered a suspected cardiac arrest or heart attack, and despite the efforts of paramedics was declared dead. Shannon says the police would have been aware of her son’s health concerns as a medical marker was placed on his name following a traffic accident months before, which brought about the heart diagnosis. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Having seen police bodycam footage following the incident on June 21, she has accused them of a “heavy-handed” approach that was unnecessary in the circumstances. Leo’s death remains under investigation by the coroner – and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have said it carried out an internal review which found no wrongdoing, but that officers involved have been provided additional training. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) agreed with the conclusion after a referral from the force. Heartbroken Shannon, however, continues to demand answers, accusing the cops of switching off their bodycams as Leo fled – and is planning to submit her own complaint to the independent police watchdog. The mum-of-three told The Sun: “I just want the full picture of what happened – my son has died because of this. “They were heavy-handed, banging on the door and window, and shouting Leo’s name. It was known about his heart condition.” Most read in The Sun Shannon at the tributes left for her son who collapsed in an alleyway behind the family’s home Credit: Shannon Gurr Leo developed a heart condition earlier this year Credit: Shannon Gurr Leo with his younger brothers Shae and Tommy Credit: Shannon Gurr Police had come round to the family home in relation to an alleged incident from several weeks earlier Credit: Shannon Gurr The officers knocked on the door of the family home in Binstead Close at just after 11am, on June 21. Shannon says they had gone round to ask Leo about reports of an alleged slapping incident at a nearby park from several weeks earlier – which she claims Leo had been mistakenly identified as being involved but was later cleared. The mum was contacted and arrived back home minutes later, assuring the officers her son was obviously scared and would return when he’d calmed down. The teen was home with his two younger brothers Shae and Tommy at the time of the visit, and, panicking, he fled out the back door in his bare feet. Shannon said the officers told her they simply wanted to offer him “advice”. However, at 12.17pm – over an hour after he ran away – Leo was found collapsed a couple of hundred yards from his home by passersby who called for an ambulance. Paramedics tried in vain to save his life before he was pronounced dead at 12.29pm – with a full coroner’s inquest being prepared to formally establish the exact medical cause of Leo’s death. Shannon told The Sun: “They’ve obviously come to the door to talk to him, rang the door, shouted up, banged on the windows – that’s not offering advice, they came to the door like he’d done an armed robbery. Leo had been an avid fan of motocross but had to give it up due to his heart condition Credit: Shannon Gurr Leo had been involved in a minibus crash in January which led to his diagnosis Credit: Shannon Gurr Shannon is demanding answers from the police Credit: Shannon Gurr Shannon with her three sons Leo, Shae and Tommy Credit: Shannon Gurr “He’s obviously panicked with the banging and shouting, and just ran straight out the back door – he didn’t even have shoes on, and then he’s been found in the alleyway behind my house, collapsed.” She said Leo has an official medical care plan, having been diagnosed with a heart condition following an incident in which he was hit by a minibus in January while riding an e-scooter. “They were well aware of his heart condition, and that’s why it was on file,” Shannon continued. “Leo also had ADHD and autism, so it was a fight or flight response for him to just run out of the house. He was absolutely petrified. “It wasn’t a normal thing for police to knock at the door – they could’ve called first and said can we come have a chat?” Shannon said she arrived around 10 minutes after the police, not knowing Leo was lying fighting for his life less than a minute’s walk from the backdoor. “I just wish I’d gone up there myself,” she said. “But I did think he’ll just come back in his own time.” Around an hour later, after the police had left, a neighbour banged on the door. “She said ‘I think your young lad’s being given CPR up the cut way!’” explained Shannon. “I just ran, and as soon as I saw these two white socks, I just knew because he obviously didn’t have any shoes on. “He was covered by paramedics so I couldn’t see him at that point.” She asked the medics “can I help?” and, because it was a very hot day, people brought buckets of water. “I was sponging him down as they gave him CPR,” Shannon said. “They were working on him for a long time – I can’t say they didn’t try because they did. The ambulance crew did an amazing job.” She added: “He was already gone when he was found. They were trying to just bring him back, really.” The mum described how there were around 30 police officers that accompanied the paramedics, and she was escorted behind the ambulance in a marked car to the hospital. She explained: “We’d been at the hospital about 20 minutes and that’s when they said ‘you need to come and hold his hand, we’re going to turn the machine off’.” Leo had had to make several alterations to his lifestyle after the diagnosis, including taking regular medication, with his medical plan stating emotional stress and adrenaline can trigger problems, including cardiac arrest or a heart attack, Shannon said. Shannon is also calling for answers over the use of bodycam during the incident. She says she was shown the footage that allegedly captured two officers banging on the window and calling Leo’s name, as well as getting clear visuals of him inside the house – before switching off their cameras. The force says there was no indication he was present and they were deactivated out of normal procedure. Hampshire Police told The Sun they had attended Leo’s address as “part of enquiries into an unrelated assault investigation”, adding: “A referral was made to the IOPC.” The force continued: “The officers’ use of BWV (Body Worn Video) formed part of that review. The BWV confirms that officers received no response at the address and had no information to indicate whether Leo was present inside the property. “The IOPC assessed the referral and determined that no further investigation or action was required. “In line with the wishes of Leo’s family, the force also carried out an internal Death or Serious Injury review. This found no evidence of criminality or misconduct by the officers involved. “While no organisational changes were identified as necessary, individual learning points were provided to two officers as part of their continuing professional development. “The IOPC has reviewed and agreed with the recommendations arising from the internal review. “Our thoughts remain with Leo’s family, friends and everyone affected by his death.”