A police officer used 'necessary, proportionate and reasonable force' when they shot dead a knife-wielding man at a railway station, a watchdog has found.David Joyce, 38, was fatally shot in the abdomen by a Thames Valley Police firearms officer on April 1 last year after he ran towards them and another armed officer outside Milton Keynes Central station.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found the officer who shot Mr Joyce believed there was an immediate threat to life and that their use of force was 'lawful'.Police were called at 12.54pm to a report of a man at the station with a gun and a knife.The IOPC said Mr Joyce had called 999 himself, telling an operator: 'There is a man with a gun down at the train station in Milton Keynes.'He then hung up before the call handler rang him back. Mr Joyce then said the man with the gun was acting suspiciously, looked like he was about to do something bad and 'definitely' had a gun.Armed officers arrived ten minutes later and encountered Mr Joyce 'seconds' after leaving their vehicle. Despite being told to stop, Mr Joyce ran at the two firearms officers with a 12cm steak knife - one officer shot him once in the abdomen. David Joyce died after being shot by an armed police officer at Milton Keynes Central station in April last year He had run at two officers with a 12cm steak knife before one fatally shot him. An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found the use of lethal force was 'proportionate' He was briefly handcuffed after being shot 'due to the continued perceived risk', which the investigation found was consistent with training and national guidance. The IOPC said the officers 'immediately' gave him first aid before paramedics arrived but the Irishman, originally from Co. Galway, was pronounced dead at 1.44pm.No weapon other than the knife was found at the scene.Mr Joyce had left prison months before his death after being jailed for possession of firearms and making his own gun three years earlier.In photographs posted to his Facebook page Mr Joyce could be seen taking aim with a rifle and a bow and arrow in a woodland.He also posted a photograph of a Taser he had made himself from a '200,000 voltage ignition coil' and boasted of making a 'burning laser' which would cut through plastic and 'blind you instantly'.The Daily Mail revealed cannabis-smoking Mr Joyce had become agitated and paranoid hours before he was shot, telling a neighbour 'the police are out to get me'.Days after his death a neighbour told the Mail: 'He was a quiet lad, didn't say much but I think he had some mental health issues. On the day he was shot, he came to my gate and started talking to me.'He was very paranoid and said: "Can't you see them? The cameras…they're following me everywhere. The police are out to get me."'It was a bizarre conversation but a few hours later he was shot dead by armed police. He had a knife apparently and ran at them but I wonder if they could have handled it differently because he was clearly unwell.'He admitted that he'd been sentenced to five years in jail and told me he was some sort of engineer who built his own gun.'He had a fascination with firearms and weapons but I remember he told me he had made a big mistake making the gun saying "I did something very silly". Joyce, originally from Galway in Ireland, had left jail just months before he died after being convicted of firearms offences'The fact he'd been inside and his mental health issues meant he didn't have a job. I just used to see him going from his flat to the shop.'Another neighbour added: 'He'd only been out of prison a few months.'I used to see him smoking weed outside the block. The smell would drift up to my flat. He kept to himself and didn't have much family in the area.'After the investigation into the fatal shooting concluded, IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: 'This was a tragic incident which resulted in the loss of life, and our thoughts remain with Mr Joyce's family and friends.'Our role was to independently examine the circumstances and determine whether police actions were in line with policy and legislation.'Having carefully reviewed all of the available evidence, we found that officers were responding to reports of a man believed to be armed and acted quickly in a rapidly evolving situation where there was a real risk to public safety.'In those circumstances, the use of lethal force was necessary, proportionate and reasonable.'The IOPC said its investigation examined body-worn footage, CCTV, dashcam footage, radio communications and witness accounts, including from the officers. Mr Joyce was pictured posing with a bow and arrow online and previously wrote of his 'mad dreams', which included 'getting shot at', on Facebook as early as 2016 It concluded the officers did not act in a way which would 'justify disciplinary or criminal proceedings'.The investigation also considered complaints raised by Mr Joyce's family about searches of addresses linked to him and the handling of property.It found items were properly seized and recorded and there was insufficient evidence to conclude additional property had been taken.However some officers did not activate body-worn video when entering properties, which the IOPC said 'should be addressed through reflective learning'.A pre-inquest review hearing into Mr Joyce's death is to be held on June 19.Mr Joyce had posted on Facebook about his 'mad dreams' of being shot at as early as 2016.That year he wrote: 'Keep having the same kind of mad dreams over and over, getting shot at, having gun fights, being attacked by creepy weirdos and being in jail.'Not to mention getting stabbed and oh yes, my favourite, the poltergeist I always dream of being locked in a house with. Telling you I do wake up full of adrenaline expecting something or someone to be there. This is every night.'He was jailed in 2022 after being charged with two counts of possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and one count of possession of an article for use in connection with conversion of imitation firearms.