'I'm going back next year': Wolverhampton judo instructor not put off by terror in Cambrils
A judo instructor from the Black Country who filmed a terrorist being shot dead has said he has no qualms about returning to the same resort next year.
Fitzroy Davies was at a beachside restaurant in Cambrils, Catalonia when he witnessed Spanish police gunning down the terrorist last week.
Fitzroy, 54, was in the resort coaching a group of eight judokas from the Wolverhampton University Judo Club.
He saw a man pacing up and down in a fake suicide vest just 25ft from the bar he was in – then witnessed armed officers shooting the terrorist dead.
The father of one filmed the chilling encounter on his mobile phone, and the footage has been on news bulletins across the globe.
Fitzroy, who represented Great Britain in his fighting days, returned home to Bradley, Wolverhampton, on Monday night, and was due to be reunited with his partner Jackie Bird last night (tues).
He told the Express & Star the danger of the situation he found himself in never really dawned on him.
Since arriving back in the Black Country, Fitzroy admitted he has 'faced the music' from his mother for choosing to film the incident.
He said: "I phoned some of my family [after the shooting] and told them there had been an incident.
"But I forgot to tell them I was holding a camera.
"When they found out then I knew I was going to have to face the music when I got home.
"I faced the music from my mum yesterday morning.
WARNING: Contains scenes and language some viewers may find distressing
"And I'm expecting some more grief from my partner."
In the days after the incident, which was linked to the terror attack in Barcelona, it was business as usual for the judo group, Fitzroy said.
He said he chose to film the footage because he knew the attacker was not a threat and armed police were keeping him safe.
Seven people, including a police officer, were injured in Cambrils – hours after a rampaging van driver left 13 people dead and more than 100 wounded around 70 miles away in Barcelona.
Fitzroy said: "If the guy had had a gun then I would've run. But if he had a knife I could have looked after myself.
"I could've given him a good beating.
"[In the days after the shooting] we just carried on, still did judo as normal.
"We're going back there next year – we're not changing our plans because of this.
"I'm not going to be turned away. And that was one of the first things the girls said to me afterwards."
