Pictured, firearms officer who shot himself inside Glasgow police station: Force launch probe into tragic death

• Constable Rod Gellatly, 41, died after the incident at a Strathclyde Police station in Baird Street

By Graham Grant and Francesca Infante

PUBLISHED: 15:30 GMT, 5 November 2012 | UPDATED: 23:52 GMT, 5 November 2012

A firearms officer died yesterday after shooting  himself in an apparent suicide at a city police station.

Constable Rod Gellatly had ‘turned the gun on himself’ after arriving at work as normal yesterday morning.

Police refused to give any further detail but admitted officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the 41-year-old’s death.

The incident happened at Baird Street police station in Glasgow – the Strathclyde Police base for firearms specialists, generally of constable or sergeant rank.

There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that PC  Gellatly had shot himself in the station’s toilets. It is understood he came to work, took a weapon and ammunition from the armoury and was later found dead by colleagues.

An ambulance was called around 11am but later left with no casualty on board.

The tragedy is certain to raise  questions over the vetting of firearms officers who have to undergo strict psychological assessment before being allowed to carry a weapon.

The average percentage of officers with firearms training across Scotland is around four per cent – currently around 700 out of 17,436 officers.

Lothian and Borders Police was called in immediately as an independent force to investigate, while a report was sent to the procurator fiscal.