Police acted lawfully when they shot dead an armed man who was left suicidal after being told he could not look after his sick wife, an inquest jury ruled today.

Gun enthusiast Mervyn Tussler, 64, was in despair that his ailing wife Winifred would have to go into a nursing home because she could not be looked after at home.

Firearms officers were deployed after Mr Tussler pointed a Colt 45 antique handgun at a manager at his sheltered accommodation when she went to check on him.

Mr Tussler, described as "caring and anti-establishment", said: "I'm not letting a Government agency take my wife away so you better get lost."

During a three-hour stand-off, police tried to start negotiations with him but he did not respond, the inquest was told.

A police dog sent into the property did not indicate anyone was inside and officers entered to find Mr Tussler motionless on his bed.

When police pulled away his duvet, Mr Tussler opened fire several times from his "cowboy-style" gun, causing a bullet to penetrate an officer's protective vest.

Police threw a stun grenade into the room but it failed to subdue him.

Officers returned fire and he died from a single bullet wound to his abdomen at 2.20pm on May 8 last year at Ash Grove in Fernhurst, near Midhurst, West Sussex.

During the three-week inquest, jurors heard Mr Tussler threatened suicide after social workers told him during a meeting two days before he died that his wife needed more care than he could provide.

At the meeting Mr Tussler, who had been his wife's registered carer for 10 years, became upset and pointed his finger at professionals around the room, saying: "I never forget faces and I never forgive."

Mrs Tussler had been spending an increasing amount of time in hospital following a long-term brain injury and had also developed a clot which spread to her lungs.

Before the fatal shooting, Mr Tussler telephoned the Royal Surrey Hospital asking staff to say goodbye to his wife of 13 years as he was going to kill himself.

Mr Tussler, who was on anti-depressants and had been drinking, also threatened to kill any police officers who turned up at his sheltered accommodation.

The inquest heard that "strong-willed" Mr Tussler was devoted to his wife, known as Winnie, but became reclusive as her condition deteriorated.

The inquest jury, sitting at the Chatsworth Hotel in Worthing, ruled that "the fatal wound to the abdomen of Mr Tussler was caused by a shot which was lawfully fired".

In answer to 24 questions put to them by West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield, the jury ruled that certain information, including from Mr Tussler's daughter, Sandra Skelton, was not passed to the silver commander during the stand-off.

The information she passed included the disclosure that Mr Tussler sometimes slept with a gun under his pillow and that he may fire at police.

However, jurors decided that it did not contribute to his death.

And they ruled that more detailed consideration should not have been given to enabling contact between Mrs Skelton and his brother, Matthew Tussler, after the trained negotiators arrived.

In addition, police were found to have "failed to give weight to other explanations for Mr Tussler's failure to respond to their attempts to make contact". But it was not considered to have contributed to his death, jurors ruled.

There was not inadequate consideration given to the risk of an armed confrontation when officers entered Mr Tussler's property, they added.

Jurors also found that the search for Mr Tussler did not "incorporate an adequate plan for what to do if Mr Tussler was found". They were undecided on whether this made any contribution to his death.

Following the case, Assistant Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney, of Sussex Police, said: "My thoughts are with Mr Tussler's family today after the jury has returned a verdict of lawful killing.

"I cannot underestimate the impact Mr Tussler's death has had on his family. What happened that day was tragic and unforeseen.

"This incident also had a profound impact on those officers involved and their families. Firearms officers are highly trained and the use of lethal force is seen as a last resort to protect the public or themselves.

"On the day, officers were informed that Mr Tussler was emotionally and mentally distressed. We knew that he had threatened a social worker and had pointed a gun at the manager of the complex where he lived.

"Initially, we were there to ensure the safety of the public but, when negotiators could not confirm Mr Tussler was there, it was due to our concern that he may have harmed himself or left the house - presenting a risk to the public - that armed officers entered his home.

"What happened next was tragic. Mr Tussler surprised the officers by opening fire, shooting one of them in his protective vest. They were faced with no option but to respond in self defence.

"We have fully supported the coroner's inquest and an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation into Mr Tussler's death, providing documents and witnesses to help determine the cause of death and the circumstances in which Mr Tussler died."

She added that the IPCC inquiry did not find any failings by officers over his death and no disciplinary action is being considered.

Ms Pinkney said: "The IPCC said that the tactics adopted to try and make contact with Mr Tussler were appropriate, including the decision not to use Mr Tussler's son or daughter as intermediaries.

"In the early stages the use of a third party intermediary is associated with certain high risks.

"The IPCC, however, made a total of 12 recommendations, all of which we have taken on board to further improve our policies, which along with our processes and training are fully compliant with nationally agreed standards.

"We are always looking at ways to improve our response to these types of incidents and we will accept any learning identified in the IPCC report."