A 37-year-old woman shot by a Kent police marksman in Sevenoaks town centre died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, an inquest has been told.

Ann Sanderson, of Bethel Road, Sevenoaks, was shot at about 2.55am on Monday by armed officers responding to reports that she was armed with a handgun.

Roger Hatch, coroner for North West Kent, opened the inquest into the death of Ms Sanderson at Tunbridge Wells.

The death has been reported to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

IPCC deputy senior investigator, Bill Stone, said at the opening of the inquest: "At 4am on Monday June 11, 2007, the Independent Police Complaints Commission were informed by Kent Police of a shooting incident which took place at Sevenoaks in Kent.

"The IPCC has now instigated an independent investigation into this incident and we can report as follows.

"The deceased was formally identified on Monday June 11 2007 as Ann Sanderson, who was born in London on September 2, 1969. Identification was made by means of a fingerprint comparison.

"The circumstances of the incident are that at approximately 1.20am on Monday morning Kent Police force headquarters were alerted to the presence of a female who was apparently armed with a handgun in the town centre of Sevenoaks.

"Police officers were deployed to the incident, including two armed response vehicles.

"Ann was located and challenged by armed officers. As a result of this encounter a single shot was discharged by an officer at Ann at approximately 2.55am. Ann was pronounced dead by Kent Ambulance Trust paramedics at the scene at approximately 3am.

"A post-mortem examination was carried out on June 12, 2007, by David Rouse, a Home Office forensic pathologist. Cause of death has been determined as a gunshot wound to the chest."

No members of her family were present at the hearing. The inquest was adjourned.