A man has been shot dead by police after officers stopped a car near Kensington Gardens in London. Officers were called to reports of a man with a firearm seen entering a bank and a bookmakers near Marloes Road, Kensington, at 3.04pm, the Metropolitan police said. The force said the man was then seen to get into a vehicle and leave the area. The vehicle was stopped by armed officers at the junction of Kensington Road and Palace Gate, close to Kensington Palace, 15 minutes later. Shots were fired and a man sustained gunshot wounds. The London ambulance service and London Air Ambulance were called and the man was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead from his injuries at 4.08pm. The Met police said efforts are under way to confirm his identity and to inform his next of kin. The force said: “A number of road closures are in place in the local area and are likely to remain in place for some time. The public are advised to avoid the area. “The incident is not being treated as terrorism.” A police officer at the scene in west London has said that Kensington High Street will be closed overnight. The Met added that the Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which confirmed it had started an investigation. A London ambulance service spokesperson said crews were called at 3.23pm to reports of a shooting. “We sent an ambulance, an incident response officer, a tactical response unit, a motorcycle response unit and an advanced paramedic. The London Air Ambulance car also responded. “We treated a man on scene, who unfortunately died.”