THE officer who accidentally shot Pc Ian Terry was the best friend he called his `second brother'.

And the M.E.N. can reveal that Greater Manchester Police could face legal action after the fatal training exercise shooting.

The officer who fired the gun has not been suspended, but he has been moved from duties with the force's firearms unit.

The officer, along with other witnesses from the firearms unit, is expected to be interviewed over the next few days.

They have all been too traumatised to give their accounts in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

Police firearms units in Greater Manchester will cease to train with live special shotgun cartridges - used in the shooting in Newton Heath - while an investigation is held.

The probe is being led by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, with support from the Health and Safety Executive. They will prepare a file for the Crown Prosecution Service to make a final decision on whether any criminal charges are brought.

The HSE would decide separately whether to bring charges against GMP for allegedly breaching its duty of care as an employer.

One source said: "There is a possibility that the officer who fired the gun could face manslaughter charges and Greater Manchester Police could face corporate manslaughter."

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act came into force in April.

An organisation is guilty if `the way in which its activities are managed or organised causes a person's death or amounts to a gross breach of a relevant duty of care owed by the organisation to the deceased'.

Pc Terry, a father of two, was shot in the chest during an exercise at a disused warehouse in Manchester on Monday.

He was hit with a RIP (Round Irritant Personnel) round while sitting in a car. He was not wearing body armour.

It is understood the shotgun cartridge designed to deliver a dose of CS gas was filled with white powder.

Some firearms training has been suspended due to the involvement of key officers in the exercise.

A team of at least eight IPCC officers are carrying out the investigation, including retired senior detectives.

The Association of Chief Police Officers has been asked to provide firearms experts to help with the inquiry.