POSTERS have been appearing around the Isle of Wight of a man who was shot dead during a planned police operation in Coventry.

Sean Fitzgerald, 31, was fatally shot by an armed officer who was covering the rear of the house raided earlier this month.

Sean's niece, Leigh Macaulay, 25, of Shanklin, has been putting up posters featuring an image of her uncle and the words, 'unarmed and shot by police, we will never forget, #JusticeForSeany'.

She says hundreds of friends and family have been hurt by his death and want to keep his case in the public eye.

Miss Macaulay told the County Press: "He was an amazing man, he had a good heart, everyone knew him, everyone liked him.

"He was more like a brother to me than an uncle."

She said her three children, aged eight, six and four, were close to Sean and were struggling to understand his death.

An investigation was launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is expected to conclude in June.

However, the family claim they have received little information from the office about the case.

"We hardly heard anything in the first place," said Miss Macaulay.

"We found all our information out on the news."

An inquest into Mr Fitzgerald's death was opened in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, last week.

It heard no firearm was recovered from the scene of the shooting, where two 26-year-old men were also arrested.

Andrew Beech, a team leader at the IOPC, told the hearing the inquiry would look at the "decisions and actions of the police officer who fired the shot".

A full inquest will be heard in June and is expected to last around two weeks.

Miss Macaulay added: "I didn't think it could happen to me or my family and it has, and it should be known everywhere – all around the world.

"It's quite shocking, it's something you see in movies or in America – not here in our country."

Mr Fitzgerald served in the British Army until recently.

Posters have gone up in Brading, Lake at the Stag Inn, Ryde's Marine Bar and Evolution Gym, with more planned for other locations.