AN ARMED man shot dead by police in a quiet country village had alcohol, cannabis and carbon monoxide in his blood, an inquest has heard.

Dayniel Tucker, 39, called 999 on his mobile phone to report a sighting of a man with an Uzi submachine gun in Stansted on December 29, 2007.

When officers arrived, it became apparent the threat came from the caller himself, although the gun later proved to be a replica.

As the inquest opened in Gravesend on Monday, Coroner Roger Hatch agreed the armed officers involved would not be named.

He said: "We are not deciding if anyone is innocent or guilty. "This is an inquiry, not a trial."

Counsel to the inquiry Catherine Milsom said Mr Tucker had drunk eight to 10 vodka and Red Bulls in the Black Horse pub the night before the shooting.

The following morning his white Mitsubishi Colt was seen parked in a field off Tumblefield Road with a hosepipe leading from the exhaust to the window.

But Mr Tucker, of All Saints Road, Sittingbourne, was no longer in the car. At 7.51am he made a 999 call to Kent Police.

Officers Gordon Gilbert and Norman Pickover went to the scene and spoke to Mr Tucker in Tumblefield Road. They noticed he had "something unknown in his jacket" and were instructed to observe him closely.

The area was sealed off and armed response vehicles began to approach.

Unable to see Mr Tucker's hands, officers drove the ARVs alongside him, but the road just past Stansted Lodge became narrow.

After being given permission to proceed with an armed challenge, they shouted "armed police, armed police".

Mr Tucker removed a gun from his jacket and "pointed it directly at officers," said Miss Milsom.

"He took up a position with his feet apart in line with his shoulders. he held it with both hands and pointed it.

"Officer D, believing himself and other officers to be in danger, fired one shot."

A second shot was fired by another officer. Mr Tucker was pronounced dead at 8.57am.

Body maps produced by forensic expert Dr David Rouse were shown to the jury. One shot entered through his groin and another through his chest.

Questioned by Henrietta Hill, representing Mr Tucker's sister, Corinna, Dr Rouse said he felt the groin injury was likely to have been first. However, he did not feel it would necessarily have been enough to disable Mr Tucker.

"When people have high levels of adrenaline they often don't feel pain, so although you might expect them to collapse, often people don't do as you would expect," he said.

Forensic expert Dr Fiona Perry said Mr Tucker had 72mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, which would lead to mild intoxication. He had also smoked cannabis, probably within 12 hours of his death, and the carboxyhaemoglobin levels in his blood could cause dizziness, confusion, eyesight and co-ordination problems.

Richard Perks, representing Kent Police, said the levels were "not the sort you would achieve by being a smoker or through passive inhalation".The jury also heard that Mr Tucker had the catalytic converter removed from his car before the incident.

The inquest continues.