GRIEVING family and friends of ex-King’s school pupil Mark Saunders, who was shot dead by police following a siege at his London flat last week, are struggling to come to terms with his tragic death.

The barrister’s devastated parents spoke about their "exuberant, caring, bright and articulate son, who had a zest for life and loved taking on new challenges", while friends talked of his "charm, friendliness and gregariousness".

His teachers at the King’s School also paid tribute to the former pupil, who was a shining star of the drama society and had his sights set on high academic achievement.

But now they are finding it hard to align their fond memories of Mark with the same man who died, aged 32, following a five hour police siege at his Chelsea flat. An inquest, which was opened and adjourned, said the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, fired by several police marksmen, after Mr Saunders brandished a shotgun and fired shots into the street.

At the family home in Brook Lane, Alderley Edge, his mother Rosemary said they were struggling to understand the events which led to his death.

She said he was a bright, happily married man, who lived life to the full, loved cooking and travelling and made friends in everything he did.

"He was a very enthusiastic child and he remained like this throughout his adult life. He had a lot of drive and initiative.

"He was so exuberant and that’s why what’s happened is so inexplicable."

Mark spent his childhood in Alderley Edge and grew up at the family home on Brook Lane.

He attended Mount Carmel infant school before being accepted to the King’s School junior division aged seven.

Bright and articulate from a young age, Mark was just ten years old when he took on his first leading role, playing Tom Sawyer in the King’s School junior production.

Throughout his time at King’s, he was an active member of the school’s dramatic society, taking the title role in numerous productions.

In his GCSE years, he juggled his studies to play one of the leads in Nicholas Nickleby, said by the school to be one of the most ambitious productions it had ever staged – taking seven hours to perform and presented in separate parts over two evenings.

Mark’s handling of the role of Ralph Nickleby was described in the school’s 1993 yearbook as "strikingly mature".

During his time in the sixth form, he took on the demanding title role in the school’s production of Oedipus Rex, while helping out with other productions, organising social events and preparing to sit the Oxford entrance exams.

At the King’s School annual reunion dinner at the RAF Club in Piccadily, London, last Friday, former headmaster Adrian Silcock paid tribute to Mark and said: "Most of us remember him for his dazzling performances in many plays and that’s the main memory he leaves with us."

Former pupil Andy Holt knew Mark from the age of 11 and studied history with him at A Level.

He said: "He was always a bright lad. He was a genial and nice guy. He was witty in class and did funny impressions of teachers.

"He was very lively and friendly, very intelligent. I couldn’t say a bad word about him. At school he always knew what he wanted to do.

"I always remember him being the man who was the epicentre of what was happening within all the social activities.

"He was the person who knew what was going on or happening on a night out.

"There was nothing extraordinary that could lead you to believe this would happen."

Andy added: "Everyone who knew him, and even those who didn’t know him very well, have just said it’s so sad and it’s a shock to think that somebody you know can end up in that situation."

Mark, who was a senior prefect in his upper sixth, was as adept at his studies as he was on stage and set his sights on studying law at Oxford from early on in secondary school.

When Mark was 12, his mum was studying part-time for a degree in law and he would absorb the content of the weighty legal tomes she would bring home.

"He hoovered up all books," his mum said.

After his older sister went to Oxford University, Mark went to visit her and set his sights on Christ Church College. His mum said: "He used to visit his older sister in Oxford and decided he wanted to go there.

"We tried to dissuade him, thinking he might be aiming too high, but he was ‘in for a penny in for a pound’ and his view was you go for it and at least you tried."

Former deputy head at King’s Keith Aikin, who was Mark’s history teacher for five years, prepared him to sit the Oxford entry exams.

He said: "He was very lively, very good company, good humoured and got on well with his friends.

"He was one of the stars of his year group."

Mr Aikin added: "I remember labouring for five years to try and decipher Mark’s handwriting and telling him if after five years I couldn’t read it, how could the Oxford examiners?

"I remember his acting the most and his lead role in many productions.

"It was as though his acting was preparing him for life in court."

In everything Mark did he was determined and, after graduating from Oxford and passing his bar exams, he aimed for the top and was one of four students offered a pupilage at the prestigious QEB chambers, specialising in family law, and was the only pupil taken on permanently.

A letter of sympathy sent to Mark’s family by a former client, said: "He was bright, witty, courteous and charming. His advocacy helped change my life."

It was during his pupilage year that Mark met his future wife Elizabeth.

Mrs Saunders said: "He used to talk about the people he worked with and would mention Liz and say ‘she’s amazing, very down to earth, I really like her’."

The couple got together and married two years ago.

"They adored each other and were devoted to each other. They were so happy together and Mark was so protective of her," added his Mum.

Mrs Saunders said her son was "always up for something new and different".

"He did the London Marathon four years ago with no training. Who does that?

"And he had a love of cooking," she said.

"About five years ago, he got into fish cooking and started reading recipe books almost academically. He had about 150 of them."

He joined the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) in his early twenties after being invited along by a colleague and took part in the gun salute at the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday.

Although he had not been involved with the HAC for over five years, his mum said he kept up with the friends and would attend weekend game shoots with friends and colleagues, using the produce he shot to turn out a culinary masterpiece.

On the day of his death, Mark had received a letter inviting him on a game shoot later this year, which his mother said he was looking forward to.

His younger sister Charlotte said: "He was very sweet and was so generous. He paid for my Spanish lessons when I returned from a trip round the world and made sure I had enough in what he called a ‘fun fund’ for me."

Next weekend Mark and Liz planned to take his parents to Venice – a trip Mrs Saunders no longer wants to make without her son.

As the family try to come to terms with their loss in this tragic accident, his mum said: "It’s bad enough to lose your child, let alone in this way. It’s such a waste.

"It’s not really a consolation, but he packed it all in and in 32 years he did as much as some people do in 80."

A funeral service is scheduled to take place at Christ Church College, Oxford. Mrs Saunders said: "I’m hoping it will be as nice as it possibly can be. He loved it there."

The inquest at Westminster's Coroners Court has been adjorned until September 9.